A new multi-analytical procedure for radiocarbon dating of historical mortars

Abstract

Abstract The overarching challenge of this research is setting up a procedure to select the most appropriate fraction from complex, heterogeneous materials such as historic mortars in case of radiocarbon dating. At present, in the international community, there is not a unique and fully accepted way of mortar sample preparation to systematically obtain accurate results. With this contribution, we propose a strategy for selecting suitable mortar samples for radiocarbon dating of anthropogenic calcite in binder or lump. A four-step procedure is proposed: (I) good sampling strategies along with architectural and historical surveys; (II) mineralogical, petrographic, and chemical characterization of mortars to evaluate the feasibility of sample dating; (III) a non-destructive multi-analytical characterization of binder-rich portions to avoid geogenic calcite contamination; (IV) carbonate micro-sample preparation and accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements. The most innovative feature of the overall procedure relies on the fact that, in case of positive validation in step III, exactly the same material is treated and measured in step IV. The paper aims to apply this procedure to the ancient mortar of the Florentine historical building (Trebbio Castle), selecting micro-samples suitable for dating in natural hydraulic mortars. The discussion of the mortar dating results with the historical-archaeological hypotheses provided significant insights into the construction history of the building.

Keywords

• Historical mortars
• Radiocarbon dating
• Geogenic and anthropogenic calcites
• ATR-FTIR
• Micro-Raman
• Microsample preparation