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A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Crystallography and Physical Chemistry of Minerals & Nanominerals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (21 April 2020) | Viewed by 32326

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Dr. Luis Angel Ortega

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Guest Editor

Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country-UPV/EHU, Sarriena s/n, 48940 Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain
Interests: historic mortars; roman and medieval pottery; petrography; mineralogy; geochemistry; isotope geochemistry; teeth and bone; diagenesis; residential mobility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The chemical-mineralogical study of materials, tools, goods, and jewels used by humans from prehistory to the present is the scientific objective of an increasing number of researchers in the areas of mineralogy and geochemistry.

Mineralogical studies supported by geochemical and isotopic data are able to establish the geological and geographical origin of materials, and delimit the distribution areas and trade routes of many cultural goods, such as pottery and ceramics, weapons and metals, jewelry, glass and glazed objects, and pigments. Mineral associations as well as the interrelation of grains (i.e., textures) enable the determination of how ceramics or metals were made and the physicochemical conditions of their fabrication (e.g., firing temperature, reduction conditions, and amount and nature of additives)

In addition to studying ancient man-made materials in order to understand the technology and cultural transference of past societies, the preservation and restoration of built heritage is important in modern societies. In the preservation and restoration of historic buildings, it is essential to characterize the construction materials, determine their origin, and analyze in detail their alterations and the degree of affection of materials. In the same way, knowing the nature of the old mortars in historic buildings is necessary in restoration since it provides fundamental information for the design of new conservation mortars. Contributions presenting different mineralogical-chemical analytical approaches to the study of archaeological and historical materials are warmly welcomed.

Dr. Luis Angel Ortega
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

stone
mortar
pottery
tools
metal
glass
jewels
production technology

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4822 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Compositional Characterization and Chronology of Roman Mortars from the Archaeological Site of Arroyo De La Dehesa De Velasco (Burgo De Osma- Ciudad De Osma, Soria, Spain)

by Ainhoa Alonso-Olazabal, Luis Angel Ortega, Maria Cruz Zuluaga, Graciela Ponce-Antón, Javier Jiménez Echevarría and Carmen Alonso Fernández

Minerals 2020, 10(5), 393; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10050393 - 28 Apr 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3573

Abstract

This study characterises the mortar materials used in the construction of walls and floors at the Arroyo de la Dehesa de Velasco site, located near the Roman city of Uxama Argaela (the modern Burgo de Osma—Ciudad de Osma, Soria, Spain). Multilayer mortars have been characterised by petrographic, mineralogical (X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive analyses and geochemical analysis (X-ray fluorescence). Additionally, radiocarbon dating of the mortar binder fraction was performed in order to establish the chronology of the building in the absence of other archaeological chronological records. The results showed that similar siliceous aggregates and lime binders were used in the fabrication of multilayer system mortars. Some multilayer wall mortars show ceramic fragments or brick powder to produce hydraulic mortars and improve the resistance to moisture. The raw materials used for the construction of the site were of local origin and the construction was built during the first century BC, according to radiocarbon dating. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineralogy in Archaeometry and Cultural Heritage)

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20 pages, 17963 KiB

Open AccessArticle

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

by Patrizia Santi, Franco Foresta Martin, Francesca Spatafora, Sandro de Vita and Alberto Renzulli

Minerals 2020, 10(5), 389; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10050389 - 26 Apr 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3485

Abstract

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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineralogy in Archaeometry and Cultural Heritage)

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16 pages, 5332 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Database of the Quantitative Cathodoluminescence of the Main Quarry Marbles Used in Antiquity

by Philippe Blanc, M. Pilar Lapuente Mercadal and Anna Gutiérrez Garcia-Moreno

Minerals 2020, 10(4), 381; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10040381 - 23 Apr 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3119

Abstract

Quantitative cathodoluminescence (CL) has rarely been applied for the archaeometric studies concerning marble provenance, despite its potential. This paper develops the method and provides a new database of the parameters obtained from the main marble quarries used in antiquity. With a total number of 473 marble samples from ten districts of the central and eastern Mediterranean, it is the first database on quantitative CL, with the additional advantage of being the same samples that have already characterized by other conventional techniques and that are available in the literature. Focused on the measurements of the intensity peaks at the UV and visible spectra, registered by a spectrometer coupled to a scanning electron microscope (CL-SEM), the representative values are plotted on different useful diagrams to be applied in the identification of marble provenance studies, as a complementary tool of other analyses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineralogy in Archaeometry and Cultural Heritage)

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17 pages, 3457 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mineralogical Characterization of Slags from the Oiola Site (Biscay, Spain) to Assess the Development in Bloomery Iron Smelting Technology from the Roman Period to the Middle Ages

by Haizea Portillo-Blanco, Maria Cruz Zuluaga, Luis Angel Ortega, Ainhoa Alonso-Olazabal, Juan José Cepeda-Ocampo and Ana Martínez Salcedo

Minerals 2020, 10(4), 321; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10040321 - 3 Apr 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 6296

Abstract

The Oiola archeological site, located in the mining complex of La Arboleda (Biscay, North Spain) was an important iron smelting center from the Roman Period to the Middle Ages and even in more current times (19th–20th centuries). Tap-slags and some plano-convex slags were identified as smelting slags. Samples were analyzed by optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron-dispersive spectroscopy and Raman microspectroscopy to perform a mineralogical and textural characterization. Additionally, thermogravimetric and thermodiffraction analyses were carried out to determine furnace operating temperatures. The mineral assemblage reflects furnace temperatures and cooling rates and the addition of quartz as the main flux to decrease the melting temperature of the iron ore. The comparison of slags from the Roman Period and the Middle Age reveals changes in the pyrometallurgical process through time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineralogy in Archaeometry and Cultural Heritage)

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16 pages, 5276 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Petrographic and Chemical–Mineralogical Characterization of Mortars from the Cistern at Amaiur Castle (Navarre, Spain)

by Graciela Ponce-Antón, Maria Cruz Zuluaga, Luis Angel Ortega and Juantxo Agirre Mauleon

Minerals 2020, 10(4), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10040311 - 31 Mar 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2932

Abstract

Mortars from the cistern in Amaiur Castle (Navarre, Spain) were analysed to assess the mortar manufacturing process and application techniques. To this end, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman microspectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were performed. The study of both structural and plaster mortars from Amaiur Castle cistern show patterns/rules in the mortar manufacture according to the specific construction requirements. A multilayer application technique was used for the construction of the cistern tank. Deliberate selection of the aggregate nature and grading contributed to mortar impermeability. Ceramic and silico-aluminous rock fragments were used as aggregates in the cistern tank to confer hydraulicity to the mortars, instead of carbonated aggregates as used in the vault. Aluminosilicated phases present in the aggregates led to the formation of amesite, which is a magnesium aluminosilicate hydrate (M-A-S-H) phase conferring hydraulicity to the mortar. Two types of additives were identified in the outer pigmented layer of plaster. Beeswax was the identified organic additive used to improve the impermeability of mortar, while hematite was the identified inorganic additive giving rise to the reddish colour of the layer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineralogy in Archaeometry and Cultural Heritage)

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24 pages, 11238 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Petrographic Markers for Archaeometric Identification of Montjuïc Sandstone, the Flagship Stone of Barcelona (NE Spain)

by Lluís Casas, Roberta Di Febo and David Parcerisa

Minerals 2020, 10(2), 154; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10020154 - 11 Feb 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4368

Abstract

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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineralogy in Archaeometry and Cultural Heritage)

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25 pages, 7264 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Quality of Iron Ores for Bloomery Smelting: Laboratory Experiments

by Ivan Stepanov, Konstantin Borodianskiy and Adi Eliyahu-Behar

Minerals 2020, 10(1), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10010033 - 29 Dec 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 7680

Abstract

There is fragmentary knowledge of iron ore sources exploited in the past for many regions including the Southern Levant. This missing information has the potential to shed light on political, economic, craft-production, and trading patterns of past societies. This paper presents the results of smelting experiments performed in graphite crucibles and a muffle furnace, using 14 iron ore samples from the Southern Levant, in an attempt to determine their suitability for smelting using ancient techniques. A range of analytical techniques, including optical and electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and portable X-ray fluorescence were used to comparatively investigate the mineralogy and composition of the precursor iron ores and their smelting products: Iron bloom and slag. Several parameters attesting to the ability of a given ore to be successfully reduced and consolidated into a solid metal mass were quantified. The generated results highlight the significance of a ‘correct balance’ between iron oxides and other major elements in the smelting system in order to form fluid slag and a well-consolidated bloom. These data contribute to the understanding of factors, potentially influencing choices of iron ore exploitation by past human societies in the Southern Levant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineralogy in Archaeometry and Cultural Heritage)

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