Author Archives: llevin

“Marmi Antichi / Ancient Marbles” on “Facebook”

For those who like marble entertainment between ASMOSIA conferences, there is the site “Marmi Antichi / Ancient Marbles” on “Facebook”.  This is an “Open Group” started by Federico Marri, an ASMOSIA member. As he describes it “The purpose of the group is mainly sharing experiences, news, images and doubts, why not, questions among fans of ancient marbles at all levels, whether geologist, archaeologist, or enthusiasts.

Anyone want to swap content, raise issues, ask questions, share experiences, news, images and, lastly , freely manifest its passion for this material, fascinating in all its forms, is WELCOME.”

Summary of MARMORA-8 (2012), August 2013.

  • B.BASILE, L.LAZZARINI, The archaeometric identification of the Marbles of the Greek statuary and architectural elements of the Paolo Orsi Museum in Syracuse
  • C.G.MALACRINO, Architettura ionica nell’antica Kaulon. Alcune riflessioni sulle colonne e i blocchi lapidei rinvenuti a Capo Cocinto (Monasterace Marina, RC)
  • K.GALOR, A Marble fragment with menorah from the Jewish Museum of New York
  • J.A.DOMINGO, El coste del marmol. Problemas e incertitumbres de una metodologia de calculo
  • M.RUGIADI,L.LAZZARINI, Marble sources and artifacts from Ghazni(Afghanista) and their archaeometric characterization
  • A.BARTELLETTI, A.AMORFINI, E.CANTISANI, F.FRATINI, The Late Medieval Marble inlays of the floor of the San Martino Cathedral in Lucca (Italy)

S.MEDAS, Due relitti con carichi lapidei rinvenuti al Bacàn (Bocca di Porto di Lido, laguna di Venezia)
R.BUGINI, L:FOLLI, Three important stones of Italian Baroque and Rococo architecture: Macchiavecchia, Broccatello, and Rosso di Arzo (Ticino, Switzerland)
P.NOVARA, Appunti su una lastra marmorea frammentaria proveniente da Sant’Apollinare Nuovo di Ravenna

Reviews:
D.Craig Patch, Dawn of Egyptian Art (F.Carò)
A.Gutierrez Garcia, P.Lapuente Mercadal, I.Rodà de Llanza, Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone, Proceedings of the IX ASMOSIA Conference (L:Lazzarini)
D.Del Bufalo, Porphyry. Red Imperial Porphyry, power and religion (L.Lazzarini)
E.Vio (ed.), Il manto di Pietra della Basilica di San Marco a Venezia. Storia, restauri, geometrie del pavimento (C.G.Malacrino)
M.Spanu, Diokaisareia in Kilikien, Ergebnisse des Survays 2001-2006, 2, The theatre of Diokaisareia (C.G.Malacrino).

Lapuente, P., Nogales-Basarrate, T., Royo, H. & Brilli, M. (2014).

White marble sculptures from the National Museum of Roman Art (Mérida, Spain): sources of local and imported marbles. Eur J Mineral, 26, 2, 333-354. doi:10.1127/0935-1221/2014/0026-2369

ABSTRACT
This contribution reports the results of the archaeometric study of 51 marble sculptures and decorative elements from the capital of Roman Lusitania, Augusta Emerita (Mérida, Spain). These artefacts found on display at the Spanish National Museum of Roman Art comprise a representative record of archaeological pieces from different decorative programmes dated from the end of the 1st century BC to the end of the 2nd century AD.

A multi-method approach combining polarized-light microscopy, cathodoluminescence, X-ray powder diffraction, and stable C and O isotope analysis was applied to identify the marble provenance. The comparison of the results with the available databases confirms the use of different white marble varieties from the Estremoz Anticline (Portugal) as well as some Carrara and well-known marbles from Greece and Turkey. Another outcome of the study is the highlight of the most relevant parameters that serve to discriminate Estremoz Anticline marbles from other Iberian and classical marbles. In particular, the study is completed with a revision of the best parameters that may facilitate the Estremoz Anticline and Almadén de la Plata marble discrimination and an updated isotopic diagram for both white marble sources.