The Supply of Stone to the City of Rome: A Case Study of the Transport of Anician Building Stone and Millstone from the Santa Trinità Quarry (Orvieto)

McCallum, Myles

doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1072-1_5

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…In contrast, the Morgantina-type catillus (not reversible) shows two sockets "projecting like large ears" [26] at either side of the stone into which wooden beams were fitted. It is worth noting that the Morgantina-type mill should be regarded as a prototype [26] rather than as a slightly older and reduced version of the Pompeian mills, dating to the 2nd and, primarily, 1st century BC [24,[30][31][32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Volcanic Grinding Tools in Ustica Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): Local Production vs. Import of Morgantina-Type Millstones in the Hellenistic-Roman Period

et al. 2020

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This archaeometric study was focused on 28 grey to dark-grey lava artifacts found in Ustica Island (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) and referable to different grinding tools: saddle querns, rotary Morgantina-type millstones, rotary hand-mills and one small mortar. Mineralogy, petrography and bulk rock geochemical analyses emphasized that most of the grinding artifacts belonged to the Na-Alkaline series of Ustica, mainly basalts, hawaiites and mugearites. Nevertheless, some millstone samples did not match major and trace elements of Ustica lavas, in particular, one high-TiO2 Na-Alkaline basalt from Pantelleria Island, some tholeiitic/transitional basalts from the Iblei Mountains and one Calcalkaline basaltic andesite, most likely from the Aeolian Archipelago. The Hellenistic–Roman re-colonisation of Ustica Island, after ca. one millennium of nearly complete abandonment, was testified by the import of the non-local Morgantina-type rotary millstones, very widespread in the Mediterranean area from 4th–3rd century BC. This import of millstones represented, for the Ustica inhabitants, a real breakthrough for developing a local production of grinding artifacts on the basis of the new rotary technique which was much more efficient than that of the archaic saddle querns, largely used in the Middle Bronze Age. The results are also discussed in the framework of the overall volcanic millstone trade in the Mediterranean area and the different milling technology in antiquity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Volcanic Grinding Tools in Ustica Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): Local Production vs. Import of Morgantina-Type Millstones in the Hellenistic-Roman Period

et al. 2020

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“…Smaller dolia weighing c. 100‐150 kg probably required two people to maneuver a vessel, whereas larger dolia weighing over 250 kg probably had four or five people transporting the vessel. Installing sets of larger dolia, however, was probably more time consuming and expensive, as workers moved dolia one by one on carts or on more sturdy vehicles such as carriages (McCallum, 2010; Poehler, 2017). Some of the vessels in the ancient town were capable of fermenting and storing large quantities of wine, demonstrating that some of the urban vineyards were producing thousands of liters of wine for a large consumer base.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calculating dolium capacities and material use

2022

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In the ancient Mediterranean, large ceramic storage containers known as dolia, which ranged in capacity from 150 to over 1,000 liters, were important farm equipment for the storage of wine, olive oil, and other foods. Because they are often poorly preserved, little is known about how they were made, much less the scale of their production. This paper draws on data from Pompeii to discuss how mathematical modeling can help us estimate their capacities and weight, and thus what their production and procurement entailed. The paper presents methods adaptable for a range of applications.

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“…However, the road that connects the city of Orvieto to Rome is the ancient Via Cassia, passing through Viterbo. In both cases, we guess that the millstone reached the Roman market and then was transported into central Italy to the east [5,42].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeometry of a Roman Millstone from Santa Maria Arabona, Manoppello (Abruzzo, Central Italy)

et al. 2021

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A well-preserved Pompeiian-type millstone fragment was retrieved from the chance discovery of Roman ovens dating to the V-VI century BCE in the area of Santa Arabona Manoppello in Italy. This is the first evidence of an hourglass millstone in Abruzzo. This fragment was analyzed through petrography, geochemistry, statistical analyses, and radiogenic isotopes at the University G. d’Annunzio. The source location of the stones was narrowed down to the areas of Etna, Roccamonfina, and Vulsini due to the petrography, geochemistry, and statistical data elaboration of leuicititic and basaltic rocks from Central Italy and Sicily. The accurate identification of the provenance of the stone used to produce the millstone results in a better understanding of commercial trade routes and Roman entrepreneurship throughout Italy. The correlation between the production site and its stones’ dispersion throughout the Roman Empire is of great interest for understanding the vast network of Roman roads, their manageability of commerce, and the organization of their products to the outlying areas of their Empire and in the case of this discovery, specifically to the area of Abruzzo Italy.

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The Supply of Stone to the City of Rome: A Case Study of the Transport of Anician Building Stone and Millstone from the Santa Trinità Quarry (Orvieto)

Cited by 8 publications

References 17 publications

Volcanic Grinding Tools in Ustica Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): Local Production vs. Import of Morgantina-Type Millstones in the Hellenistic-Roman Period

Volcanic Grinding Tools in Ustica Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): Local Production vs. Import of Morgantina-Type Millstones in the Hellenistic-Roman Period

Calculating dolium capacities and material use

Archaeometry of a Roman Millstone from Santa Maria Arabona, Manoppello (Abruzzo, Central Italy)

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