Provenance analysis of Roman limestone artefacts from Colonia Iulia Emona (Marof archaeological site, Slovenia)

Abstract

The Marof archaeological site, which dates back to the 1st–5th centuries ce, lies 10 km SE of the Roman settlement of Emona of Regio X (Venetia and Histria). In addition to other artefacts, several stone blocks were recovered. The blocks include worked (shaped) and unworked (natural forms) objects. The provenance of these stones was determined based on their lithological characteristics. The analysis shows that the stone is of Early Jurassic age. While the worked blocks are lithologically diverse and extracted from several sources located within a 10 km radius, the unworked blocks are lithologically homogeneous and originate from the site.