Petrographic markers for archaeometric identification of Montjuic sandstone, the flagship stone of Barcelona (NE Spain)
The present study deals with a particular clastic rock from the Montjuïc hill exploited since Roman times in Barcino (present-day Barcelona (NE Spain)). Polarized and cathodoluminescence microscopies have been used to describe the main petrographic features of Montjuïc sandstones. Several characteri...
| Autores: | , , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2020 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/327972 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/327972 https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/min10020154 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Sandstone Petrology Archaeometry Archaeometric provenance study Petrography Authigenic cement Roman period Sculpture Mosaics Temper Geologia -- Catalunya -- Barcelona Gres Petrologia Arqueometria Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Geologia |
| Sumario: | The present study deals with a particular clastic rock from the Montjuïc hill exploited since Roman times in Barcino (present-day Barcelona (NE Spain)). Polarized and cathodoluminescence microscopies have been used to describe the main petrographic features of Montjuïc sandstones. Several characteristic provenance markers have been identified; among them the most specifically restricted to Montjuïc sandstone are the K-feldspar clasts with authigenic overgrowths. A petrographic survey oriented to the detection of such markers has been fruitfully applied to sculptures, architectural elements, mosaics, and pottery. The petrographic approach has demonstrated that some Roman heritage materials had been erroneously assigned to Montjuïc sandstone and the revision of all the pieces macroscopically assigned to this provenance is advised. The use of Montjuïc sandstone in Roman tesserae has been reported for the first time with interesting implications on previously unreported evidence of Roman extraction at the bottom part of the Montjuïc cliff. Finally, Montjuïc crushed sandstone used as pottery temper has been also reported in the productions of a medieval (12–13th century) workshop in Barcelona. This encourages the study of the distribution of pottery with this particular temper. |
|---|