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International audience; This research is part of the PON (Programma Operativo Nazionale) SINAPSIS (SIstema NAzionale Protezione SIti Sensibili), an interdisciplinary project combining archaeological and archaeometric methods. This paper focuses on frescoes from one of the 70 funeral monuments belonging to "Porta Mediana" Necropolis, a very interesting archaeological context located in Cuma, dating back to the first half of the 3rd century BCE. The study provided detailed information on pigments and colors acquired both on untreated and treated (restored) frescoes. Portable colorimetry and chemical-mineralogical (Raman spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction-XRPD, respectively) analyses were performed in situ and on collected samples in order to: 1) identify pigments, raw materials and provenance, 2) point out possible color changes caused by conservative treatments and/or weathering. The identified palette is typical of the Roman period; it includes both single and mixtures of two or more pigments to obtain particular hues. Moreover, the identified raw materials, such as red and yellow ochres, green frit and Egyptian blue, clearly highlighted the choice to use raw materials from local sources. The use of expensive coloring materials also suggests that the mausoleum belonged to a family or a group of people with a high social status.

This research aims to deepen knowledge on geomaterials used in building operations of a very important monumental complex belonging to the "Porta Mediana" necropolis the archeological site of Cuma. The entire site counts 70 mausoleums among which, the one named "Sphinx complex" or A63, is particularly important. For its realization several geomaterials have been used. Analytical results were carried out from several techniques such as optical microscopy, microchemical and mineralogical-petrographical analysis, scanning electron microscopy with EDS and X-ray powder diffraction. This approach allows to clarify the provenance of natural geomaterials and also the technological processes involved in the production of artificial geomaterials (mortars, plasters, cocciopesto). Phlegrean tuffs, due to their easy workability and good mechanical features, were used mainly for masonries and for decorative function (a bas-relief of a "sphinx" for example). As far as artificial geomaterials are concerned, the use of a volcanic aggregate, was privileged too. Some examples of imported stones were also found: limestones and marbles, the first one implemented as a building material for cippi of the fence while the second one for prestigious coating elements. Results permitted to evaluate building techniques of the period and mainly the wide potential of Phlegrean fields' materials when used as a bulding stone. This research aims also to give important informations for restoring and conservative actions useful for mausoleums of the entire site.

At Positano, the renowned town of the Amalfi coast (Salerno province), a Roman villa was found beneath the church of Santa Maria Assunta. It likely dates back to I century BC - I century AD (Julio-Claudian age) and belonged to the freedman Posides Claudi Caesaris, from whose the town might probably derive the name (Della Corte, 1936). The villae were prestigious residences disseminated as status symbol of the wealthy Roman people all around the coastal areas of the Campania region (i.e. Vesuvian villae; Maiuri, 1955. Guzzo & Guidobaldi, 2008). During the 79 AD eruption of the Vesuvius the residence was suddenly destroyed and covered by a volcanoclastic debris flow more than 10 m thick, composed of a mass of gray ashes with large amount of high-porosity welded pumices. During the Middle age, Benedictine monks built an abbey on the same site of the Posides’ villa, then transformed in the present church dedicate to the Virgin. At the beginning of the 2000, the Archaeological Superintendence started the recovery of the overlying Benedictine crypts and extended the excavation and recovery also downward to the villa remains. Inside the crypts it was possible to unearth, descending in the villa from tiles roof till to mosaic pavement, a luxurious triclinio. Imprints of holes related to large wood poles (now replaced with plaster casts), as well as fragments of the roof, coffered ceiling, doors and other wooden remains were found embedded in the volcanoclastic mud. Tuff walls are decorated with fine plasters, polychrome frescoes of excellent painters, with hippocampus, eagle poised upon a globe, Pegasus and Cupids. These lively compositions are basically made by some colors, like the “Pompeian” red, blue and yellow ochre. This work reports a preliminary archaeometric study of various artifacts from the Positano villa, represented by plasters, fresco fragments, tile and other materials. Small but representative samples of the different findings were analyzed, in order to reach our characterization scopes and to provide useful information on probable future restoration activities. The analytical techniques used for mineralogical and petrographic study are: optical and stereoscopic studies on thin sections, modal analysis, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy analysis (SEM) and energy-dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Data concerning the composition of the artifacts and manufacturing techniques will be reported and compared with the reference literature. Della Corte M. 1936. Posides Claudi Caesaris libertus – Positano da Posidetanum? Rivista Indo-greca-Italica, 20, 67-73 Guzzo P.G. & Guidobaldi M.P. 2007. Nuove ricerche archeologiche nell'area vesuviana (scavi 2003-2006). Atti Conv. Int. Roma 1-3 febbraio, L’Erma di Bretschneider, 629 p. Maiuri A. 1955. Le vicende dei monumenti antichi della costa amalfitana e sorrentina alla luce delle recenti alluvioni. Rend. Acc. Arch. Lett. Belle Arti Napoli, XXIX, 87-98.

Roman mortars from a mausoleum (named D46b) belonging to the archaeological site of Porta Mediana necropolis, in Cuma (Naples, Southern Italy) have been studied by means of petrographic, mineralogical and micro-chemical analyses. The aim of this research is to fill the knowledge gap regarding mortar-based materials used in Roman age within this wide archaeological site. Two typologies of mortars (bedding and coating) were collected from mausoleum’s masonry. They were lime-based with addition of pozzolanic materials, according to Vitruvius’ recipe. Raw materials, such as volcanic sand and limestones, mainly from local sources, were preferentially used as aggregate, both for great availability and good properties. As regard production techniques, the multi-layer feature of the coating mortars, once again shows the great knowledge of the building art. Each layer is the result of a precise choice, as shown by the differences both in texture and petrographic features. Data from detailed mortars characterization have infer the outstanding skill of Roman craftsmen, as already proved by extraordinary durability of buildings. The research was very useful not only to increase the knowledge of this ancient culture but also to planning conservative actions, that, through mortar reproduction or the research of suitable materials, can promote the safeguard of this invaluable heritage.

This research is based on the characterization of ancient mortars from the Anfiteatro Flavio (Pozzuoli) dating back to the 1st and 2nd century CE through a multi-analytical approach involving macroscopic, mineralogical, petrographic, and chemical investigations. The goal that has been set is to deepen knowledge about mortar mix design, the provenance of used raw materials, and secondary minerogenetic processes that have occurred within ancient Roman mortars. Results show that: (i) raw materials for mortar preparation have a local provenance, i.e., Phlegraean Fields area; (ii) mortars can be considered as hydraulic; (iii) calcite presence could be due to a non-complete calcination process, an improper slaking or to exposition of materials to the subaerial environment; (iv) gypsum is due to calcite sulfation process; (v) halite presence is due to marine aerosol exposition. The achieved information testifies that, for at least two centuries, Roman builders considered the identified mortar mix as optimal for their buildings, but also contributes to the understanding of their technical skills and represents an important first step to planning future restoration operations.

This paper focuses on the authigenic mineralization processes acting on “Tufo Rosso a Scorie Nere” (TRS), i.e. one of the main pyroclastic units of the Vico stratovolcano (Latium, Italy). The pyroclastic deposits appear in general massive and made of “black vitreous vesiculated juvenile scoriae”, immersed in an ashy matrix lithified after zeolitization processes. The main minerals are chabazite and phillipsite, and the zeolitic content is locally variable, reaching 68 % wt. Zeolites grow replacing both amorphous fraction and pre-existing phases, occurring inside both matrix and scoriae. Concerning scoriae, zeolitization moves from the rim to the core of the scoriaceous fragment as a function of (a) temperature of the fluids and (b) permeability (primary or secondary). Composition of parental fresh glass and that of zeolitized rocks is compatible with trachyte chemistry, lightly undersaturated in SiO2, and the alteration processes modified the parental rock chemical features. Zeolites genesis is ascribed to a “geoautoclave-like system”, and zeolites display a Si/Al ratio similar to that of the parental glasses. TRS presents promising mineralogical characteristics as supplementary cementitious material in the production of mixed cements.

A Roman luxury villa (1st century BC) was discovered in the town of Positano, in the Sorrento peninsula (Campania region, southern Italy). Despite being more than 20 km away from Vesuvius, the villa was buried under almost overall 20 meters (total thickness) of pyclastic materials of the Plinian eruption of 79 AD, which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum towns. The exceptional level of conservation of this residential complex is due to the peculiar burial process, which determined the excellent state of preservation of both the fresco decorations (Fourth Style) and all other artefacts (masonries, plasters, tiles, furnishing remains, wooden elements, kitchenware, glazed oil lamps, bronze vessels and other metallic findings, etc.). This study presents the results of a multi-analytical archaeometric analysis of plasters, fresco pigments and roof tiles, aimed at identifying their mineralogical and petrographic nature and the provenance of raw materials. Constraints to the geoarchaeological landscape of the Positano area are also given. The analyzed plasters are mainly lime-based, usually with the addition of an aggregate. The anchoring layer is made by a volcanic component, characterized by clinopyroxene, alkali feldspar, garnet, amphibole, biotite and leucite crystals, together with a sedimentary component represented by carbonatic fragments, also with traces of microfossils. The features of plasters confirm the high degree of technological standardization of plasters in classical Roman age. Mineral pigments recognized by preliminary XRD are mainly iron-based for the ochers-red-crimson colors and copper-based for green-blues colors. In the roof tiles two kind of tempers are identified. In three samples a volcanic temper was identified, and represented by clinopyroxene, feldspar, garnet and leucite, whereas the temper of a fourth sample contained pumices with minor amounts of alkali feldspar, clinopyroxene and biotite. The raw materials are of local provenance (Somma-Vesuvius, Phlegraean Fields, Apennine limestones), and the microstructure of the materials are comparable with similar artefacts from Pompeii, Herculaneum and other Roman sites in Campania region. On the basis of geoarchaeological investigations, here reported, it is reasonable to think that there are other unearthed archaeological areas in Positano that will require further study to be properly known

GDS;VJ Tech, 4th European Conference on Unsaturated Soils, E-UNSAT 2020 -- 19 October 2020 through 21 October 2020 -- -- 164161, In soil stabilisation, the use of alternative products to lime or cement has been proposed. However, the effects of these additives, of various origins, on soil behaviour and stabilizing mechanisms are not well understood. Thus, the aim of this paper is to characterize the modification of the mechanical behaviour and microstructure of two soils after treatment with one of those product, a vinyl based copolymer. After treatment, both materials were compacted up to their maximum dry density. The mechanical behaviour of the materials as a function of the curing conditions, suction and water content was first determined. In a second step, the alteration of the microstructure by the treatment product was assessed. The results showed that the treatment permitted to significantly improve the strength of the tested soils. Moreover, the efficiency of the product increases when the soil is dried. However, the Young modulus is not significantly modified by the treatment. Microstructural reorganization after co-polymer addition has been detected by SEM technique for kaolin samples, whereas no modification have been observed for silt samples. © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences 2020., Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, H2020 H2020 Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Actions, MSCA: 778120, The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 778120.

The topic of this study is the archaeometric characterization of mortars from Villa del Pezzolo, a Roman Villa located in Seiano (Napoli-Campania, Italy), dated between the 1st century B.C. and the 3rd century A.D. Mortars were analyzed by means of a multi-analytical approach (polarized optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersed spectrometry, thermal analyses and mercury intrusion porosimetry) according to existing recommendations. Analytical results evidenced the use of local geomaterials composed of sedimentary and volcanic aggregates in the mix design and confirmed the three distinct building phases identified by archaeologists. Volcanic tuff fragments, identified in the 1st building phase can be ascribed to Campanian Ignimbrite formation, widely cropping out in the Sorrento Peninsula, as confirmed by the presence of glassy shards, partially devitrified and replaced by authigenic feldspar, a typical feature of welded grey ignimbrite lithofacies (WGI). Volcanic aggregates in samples of the 2nd and 3rd building phases show, instead, the presence of leucite-bearing volcanic scoriae and garnet crystal fragments related to Somma-Vesuvius products. Study of these mortars allowed us to: (1) understand the production technologies, (2) highlight use of materials with hydraulic behavior, such as volcanic and fictile fragments, (3) confirm the three building phases from compositional features of mortars and (4) highlight the change over time of the volcanic aggregate for mortars mix-design.