Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
19 Microfacies and Archaeology
19.1 Questions and Methods
19.2 Building Stones
Building stones are rocks suitable for use in construc-
tions. They are chosen for their properties of durabil-
ity, economy and attractive beauty. Building stones that
are quarried and prepared in regularly shaped blocks
are called dimension stones.
Provenance analysis of carbonate and non-carbon-
ate stone material used in the construction of ancient
buildings assists in deciphering the exploitation his-
tory of antique quarries and provide information on
changing local and regional sources. Knowledge of the
source of marbles and other precious stone material
used for buildings and works of art gives information
on former trading patterns.
Specific questions that could be answered by micro-
facies-based studies of building stones are: Did ancient
builders only exploit local sources or did they use dif-
ferent sources for buildings of different social rank?
What trading patterns can we discern from the distri-
bution of particular materials? How did the available
material affect architectural styles? Are building stones
repeatedly reused?
Some of these questions are touched on in a facies-
based provenance study of the building stones of Ro-
man Sagalassos in southwestern Turkey (Degryse et
al. 2003) who identified distinct relationships in time
changing local sources, changing architecture styles and
the attempt to use material exhibiting better techno-
logical properties (e.g. strength).
Archaeologists are faced with the problem of the prov-
enance of materials used in ancient buildings, sculp-
tures or ceramics. Archaeometric methods applied to
source studies include analyses of element distributions,
stable isotope patterns and studies of the mineralogical
and petrographical composition (Herz 1987; Riederer
1987; Herz and Waelkens 1988; Gibson and Woods
1990; Walsh 1990; Waelkens et al. 1992; Orton 1993;
Rapp and Gifford 1995; Herz and Garrison 1998; Pol-
lard 1999). 'Geoarchaeology' (Rapp and Gifford 1998)
is an exciting and promising interdisciplinary approach.
Archaeometric studies of limestones and marbles
consider petrographical data, stable isotopes and stron-
tium isotopes, trace elements, and cathodoluminescence
signatures.
Microfacies analysis is playing an increasingly more
important role. The microfacies approach can be used
both for carbonates and materials made of cherts. Ar-
chaeological objects consisting of limestone or dolo-
mite are typified according to textures, composition and
paleontological criteria. The combination of these cri-
teria with geological and facies data provides a highly
valuable means for provenance determinations of an-
tique building stones, mosaics, works of art and ce-
ramics. Chapter 19 summarizes several case studies.
Microfacies studies contribute to
•
differentiating the source of material used as build-
ing stones, mosaics and works of art,
19.2.1 Building Stones: Methods
•
recognizing the source area of raw materials used in
the manufacture of pottery as well as the production
sites,
The provenance analysis of ancient building stones
is based on the investigation of lithology and petrogra-
phy, stable isotopes and trace elements as well as physi-
cal properties. Carbonate building stones are studied
with regard to:
•
•
defining time-dependent technologies used in the
fabrication of ceramics,
•
understanding trade routes, and
•
evaluating provenance analyses based on isotopic
and geochemical data.
Rock color.
Weathered and unweathered.
