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Petrographic Characterization and Provenance Determination of the Crystalline Marbles Used in the R oman City of B anasa ( M orocco): New Data on the Import of Iberian Marble in R oman North Africa

2014; Wiley; Volume: 57; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/arcm.12099

1475-4754

Fabrizio Antonelli, María Pilar Lapuente Mercadal, David Dessandier, Kamel Ben Salem,

Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis

This paper reports the results of an archaeometric study of the crystalline marbles used in the R oman city of B anasa ( M orocco). On‐site surveys allowed a detailed inspection of the monuments of the ancient city and sampling of the different marble lithotypes used for architectural purposes and sculptures. The inventory was completed by the study of both the grey‐and‐white streaked or spotted marble items stored in the warehouse of the archaeological site and of those currently exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Rabat. Provenance determination of 28 samples was carried out by means of a multi‐method approach combining mineralogical–petrographic data and C – O stable isotope analyses as the first step, and cathodoluminescence microscopy as a complementary technique to verify possible unusual alternative origins of some marbles. The analytical results obtained were compared with both the most reliable international databases and the few available studies dealing with the use of marble in other R oman towns in M orocco (e.g., V olubilis , T hamusida and S ala ‐Chellah). They point to a variety of classical marble sources such as C arrara, M ount P enteli, P aros, M armara and probably M ount F ilfila ( A lgeria), and prove a significant import of Iberian lithotypes .