Archaeometric analysis of marbles located in the construction of the roof from the Traianeum of Italica (Santiponce, Seville, Spain)

Abstract

In this paper, an archaeometric study undertaken on the marble materials that were part of the roof of the Traianeum of Italica (Santiponce, Seville, Spain) is presented. This is one of the most important buildings in Italica from the Hadrianic period. The materials analyzed consist of imbrices, fragments of tegula, and a gargoyle belonging to the cornice of this building. Its objective is to identify the origin of the marble used in its production and consequently expand our knowledge about the use of stone materials in the Traianeum. The petrographic, geochemical, and isotopic (C and O) analyses of the samples were compared with data from other pieces from the Traianeum, previously studied, as well as with material stone from local quarries of Almadén de la Plata (Seville), among others. The results indicate the use of Carrara marble in the elaboration of the Sanctuary’s roofs and confirm the importance of this material in Italica in Hadrian’s time. The application of a multi-method approach has made it possible to establish criteria for the differentiation between these marbles, in which geochemical and isotopic data play a key role. Geochemical differences have been observed in the Carrara marble used in the construction of the temple and the portico, and there is a need to use several chemical analysis methods in combination to cover the widest range of detection of both major and trace chemical elements. Finally, the importance of prior knowledge of archaeological materials, their proper registration, and setting is indicated since, due to the overlapping of data that may be presented by the different analysis techniques, these aspects may be key to the correct identification of the origin of the marbles of antiquity.