Archaeological and Archaeometric Insights into a Roman Wall Painting Assemblage from the Blanes Dump (Mérida)
Gonzalo Castillo Alcántara,
Daniel Cosano Hidalgo,
Alicia Fernández Díaz,
José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola
Affiliations
Gonzalo Castillo Alcántara
Department of Art History, Archaeology and Music, University of Córdoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain
Daniel Cosano Hidalgo
Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry for Energy and the Environment Instituto (IQUEMA), Faculty of Science, Patricia Unit for R&D in Cultural Heritage, University of Cordoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain
Alicia Fernández Díaz
Department of Prehistory, Archaeology, Ancient History, Medieval History and Historiographic Sciences and Techniques, University of Murcia, 30003 Murcia, Spain
José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola
Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry for Energy and the Environment Instituto (IQUEMA), Faculty of Science, Patricia Unit for R&D in Cultural Heritage, University of Cordoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain
In this paper we describe the archaeological and archaeometric analysis of a Third Pompeian Style assemblage from the Blanes dump in Mérida (Spain). Based on the pottery context, the material would have been part of the decoration of a public or private space remodelled towards the end of the 1st century AD. Several samples from to the middle area of the assemblage, including panels, inter-panels and a frieze, were selected and studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Raman, gas chromatography and petrographic analysis. The results revealed the use of hematite, cinnabar, minium and goethite in different panels, as well as goethite, Egyptian blue, calcite, glauconite and carbon for the decorative motifs. They allowed us to define the painting techniques used and how they have affected the degradation of the pigments.
