Archaeological and Chemical Investigation on Mortars and Bricks from a Necropolis in Braga, Northwest of Portugal
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Archaeological Setting
Description of the Structures Identified
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Samples Collection
3.2. Chemical Analysis by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF)
3.3. Chemical Statistical Analysis
4. Results and Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Sample | Location Description | Brick or Mortar Function in the Structure/Construction Technique | Construction Phase (Century) | Color/Consolidation/Conservation State | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masonry mortars (MM) | SF03 | Grave CCX; brick wall | Bedding mortar | IV–V | Greyish Brown/no/cohesion loss |
SF09 | Funerary enclosure; East stone wall | Bedding mortar | V–VII | Light brown/no/cohesion loss | |
SF10 | Funerary enclosure; West stone wall | Bedding mortar | V–VII | Light brown/no/cohesion loss | |
SF11 | Funerary enclosure; North stone wall | Bedding mortar from foundations | V–VII | Light brown/no/cohesion loss | |
SF12 | Grave LXIII (inside funerary enclosure); brick wall | Bedding mortar | V–VII | Light brown/no/cohesion loss | |
SF15 | Stone wall | Bedding mortar | II | Brown/no/cohesion loss | |
SF16 | Grave XLIX (inside funerary enclosure); brick wall | Bedding mortar | IV–V | Light brown/no/cohesion loss | |
SF19 | Grave LXXXV; brick wall | Bedding mortar | V–VII | Greyish brown/no/cohesion loss | |
Coating and floor mortars (CFM) | SF01 | Grave CCX; brick wall | Opus signinum; coating mortar—from the wall | IV–V | Reddish/cohesion loss |
SF02 | Grave CCX; brick wall | Opus signinum; coating mortar with brick fragments from the top of the cover (may act as impermeabilization render) | IV–V | Pink or reddish brown/paraloid 10%/cohesion loss | |
SF04 | Grave LXXXV | Opus signinum; floor mortar, uppermost layer | V–VII | Reddish/cohesion loss | |
SF05 | Grave LXXXV | Preparatory layer; floor mortar, lowermost layer | V–VII | Reddish/no/cohesion loss | |
SF06 | Grave LXXXV; brick wall | Opus signinum; coating mortar from the top of the cover (may act as impermeabilization render) | V–VII | Orange or reddish/no/cohesion loss | |
SF07 | Grave LXXXV; brick wall | Opus signinum; coating mortar from the wall | V–VII | Reddish/cohesion loss | |
SF08 | Grave LVII; stone wall | Opus signinum; coating mortar from the wall | V–VII | Reddish brown/no/cohesion loss | |
Bricks (B) | SF13 | Grave LXIII (inside funerary enclosure); brick wall | Brick from cover | IV–V | Orange/no |
SF14 | Grave XLIX (inside funerary enclosure); brick wall | Brick from the wall | IV–V | Orange/no | |
SF17 | Grave CCX; brick wall | Brick (lydion type) from the wall | IV–V | Orange/no | |
SF18 | Grave LXXXV; brick wall | Brick from the wall | V–VII | Orange/no |
Group | Al2O3 | CaO | Fe2O3 | MgO | K2O | MnO | Na2O | P2O5 | SiO2 | SO3 | TiO2 | LOI | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masonry mortars (MM) | Min | 20.77 | 0.51 | 5.37 | 1.43 | 5.80 | 0.06 | 0.33 | 0.38 | 50.07 | 0.03 | 1.11 | 4.78 |
Max | 23.99 | 0.96 | 7.23 | 1.66 | 6.73 | 0.11 | 0.89 | 1.82 | 56.57 | 0.11 | 1.19 | 6.54 | |
Mean | 22.88 | 0.75 | 6.16 | 1.53 | 6.30 | 0.08 | 0.62 | 0.94 | 53.80 | 0.07 | 1.15 | 5.31 | |
SD | 1.29 | 0.19 | 0.58 | 0.07 | 0.31 | 0.02 | 0.22 | 0.54 | 1.88 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.56 | |
Coating and floor mortars (CFM) | Min | 18.28 | 0.35 | 3.51 | 0.90 | 3.82 | 0.07 | 0.28 | 0.36 | 42.26 | 0.05 | 0.65 | 3.61 |
Max | 29.78 | 0.99 | 7.61 | 1.45 | 6.61 | 0.11 | 0.75 | 4.53 | 63.83 | 0.32 | 1.25 | 7.89 | |
Mean | 25.96 | 0.54 | 6.35 | 1.20 | 4.94 | 0.08 | 0.45 | 1.86 | 51.41 | 0.17 | 1.09 | 5.35 | |
SD | 4.52 | 0.21 | 1.48 | 0.21 | 1.07 | 0.01 | 0.22 | 1.33 | 7.00 | 0.11 | 0.21 | 1.38 | |
Bricks (B) | Min | 28.27 | 0.12 | 6.33 | 0.54 | 3.70 | 0.02 | 0.14 | 0.31 | 50.38 | 0.02 | 1.10 | 1.36 |
Max | 32.83 | 0.33 | 8.52 | 0.82 | 3.85 | 0.04 | 0.20 | 1.03 | 56.01 | 0.12 | 1.23 | 6.04 | |
Mean | 30.17 | 0.23 | 7.02 | 0.69 | 3.80 | 0.03 | 0.17 | 0.68 | 52.07 | 0.05 | 1.18 | 3.63 | |
SD | 2.01 | 0.09 | 1.02 | 0.11 | 0.07 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.35 | 2.65 | 0.05 | 0.06 | 2.48 |
Group | As | Ba | Br | Cl | Cr | Cu | Nb | Nd | Ni | Pb 1 | Sn | Sr | V | Y | Zn | Zr | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masonry mortars (MM) | Min | 5.9 | 720.0 | 6.8 | 120.0 | 21.9 | 32.3 | 15.7 | 61.1 | 8.1 | 46.9 | 10.4 | 140.0 | 56.4 | 13.0 | 57.5 | 370.0 |
Max | 21.4 | 900.0 | 16.9 | 370.0 | 89.8 | 210.0 | 18.4 | 80.8 | 9.8 | 220.0 | 21.4 | 180.0 | 70.1 | 18.7 | 78.9 | 410.0 | |
Mean | 10.9 | 820.0 | 10.5 | 222.5 | 38.2 | 85.7 | 17.1 | 69.1 | 8.8 | 94.5 | 12.8 | 163.8 | 64.7 | 15.1 | 66.6 | 386.3 | |
SD | 4.3 | 61.4 | 3.2 | 98.8 | 20.5 | 58.4 | 0.9 | 5.5 | 0.6 | 64.8 | 3.6 | 14.9 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 5.6 | 13.2 | |
Coating and floor mortars (CFM) | Min | 5.4 | 400.0 | 3.9 | 160.0 | 28.4 | 27.9 | 11.7 | 24.3 | 6.3 | 43.5 | 8.1 | 67.6 | 27.3 | 10.8 | 46.0 | 180.0 |
Max | 28.1 | 820.0 | 62.0 | 610.0 | 65.4 | 160.0 | 28.8 | 91.5 | 16.1 | 180.0 | 34.1 | 150.0 | 90.0 | 71.5 | 110.0 | 460.0 | |
Mean | 14.9 | 565.7 | 22.5 | 357.1 | 50.8 | 67.8 | 21.3 | 62.1 | 11.5 | 81.6 | 19.7 | 85.6 | 62.1 | 35.0 | 72.2 | 348.6 | |
SD | 7.5 | 136.3 | 17.9 | 166.2 | 11.0 | 41.5 | 6.8 | 20.0 | 3.4 | 46.7 | 7.7 | 26.9 | 18.0 | 19.7 | 21.1 | 90.5 | |
Bricks (B) | Min | 11.9 | 270.0 | 6.3 | 40.0 | 46.5 | 20.3 | 27.5 | 38.6 | 9.9 | 42.6 | 19.8 | 35.6 | 51.7 | 30.1 | 56.7 | 370.0 |
Max | 34.7 | 340.0 | 16.7 | 280.0 | 54.3 | 31.4 | 34.4 | 56.9 | 13.6 | 63.6 | 35.1 | 89.8 | 67.6 | 45.2 | 74.7 | 590.0 | |
Mean | 22.4 | 307.5 | 10.8 | 146.7 | 50.4 | 28.6 | 32.0 | 48.5 | 12.5 | 51.6 | 28.1 | 52.6 | 56.7 | 39.3 | 65.3 | 465.0 | |
SD | 8.2 | 32.7 | 4.4 | 99.8 | 2.8 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 6.6 | 1.5 | 7.9 | 5.7 | 21.8 | 6.4 | 6.1 | 7.2 | 93.4 |
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Fragata, A.; Candeias, C.; Ribeiro, J.; Braga, C.; Fontes, L.; Velosa, A.; Rocha, F. Archaeological and Chemical Investigation on Mortars and Bricks from a Necropolis in Braga, Northwest of Portugal. Materials 2021, 14, 6290. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14216290
Fragata A, Candeias C, Ribeiro J, Braga C, Fontes L, Velosa A, Rocha F. Archaeological and Chemical Investigation on Mortars and Bricks from a Necropolis in Braga, Northwest of Portugal. Materials. 2021; 14(21):6290. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14216290
Chicago/Turabian StyleFragata, Ana, Carla Candeias, Jorge Ribeiro, Cristina Braga, Luís Fontes, Ana Velosa, and Fernando Rocha. 2021. "Archaeological and Chemical Investigation on Mortars and Bricks from a Necropolis in Braga, Northwest of Portugal" Materials 14, no. 21: 6290. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14216290