13C, 25Mg, and 43Ca Solid-State NMR for the Purpose of Dolomitic Marbles Provenance Elucidation

Altres ajuts: This research was funded by LaScArBx program funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-10-LABX-52, ROMAE2, 2019 Edition), the Cross-border Spanish-French Cooperation between the Autonomous Community of Aragon and the Région Nouvelle Aquitaine (2019 Edition, Marmol project, 2019), the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (de Marmoribus, SMI-INSHS 2020), the region Nouvelle Aquitaine (Aquitania, Ornata, 2021-2024). Quarries, workshops, craftmen, and customers of artistic productions in stone from Hispania Tarraconensis" and IR INFRANALYTICS FR2054 for conducting NMR experiments. The study of the provenance of dolomitic marble artefacts has become relevant since it was discovered that quarries of this marble other than that of Cape-Vathy located on the island of Thasos have been exploited since Antiquity. To improve our knowledge about the provenance of materials and the extent of their dispersion, multiple archaeometric studies were performed in the past including isotope analyses, petrography, cathodoluminescence, and elemental analyses. In the present work, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been added to this panel of techniques. NMR allows the characterization of the material at a molecular level by looking at different nuclei: carbon, magnesium, and calcium. Statistical analysis of the data collected on both quarry samples and archaeologic items was also implemented and clearly demonstrates the efficiency of a holistic approach for provenance elucidation. Finally, the first 25 Mg NMR tests have shown the potential of this technique to discriminate between dolomitic marbles of different provenance. The results are discussed in terms of their historical meaning and illustrate the exploitation of sources of dolomitic marbles other than the Greek Thasos source.