Abstract
Petrography and microscopic techniques are fundamental to analyse and characterize historical binders. This talk aims at presenting the characterisation process, which starts with macroscopic observation and is completed with chemical and physical tests. In particular, the focus will be on a set of plasters and mortars samples dating from the Late Bronze Age to the Roman times, which have been collected in the area of the modern district of Paphos, Cyprus. Specifically, the samples have been gathered from the Hellenistic and Roman strata of the archaeological site of Nea Paphos, from the ongoing excavations at the site of Kouklia-Palaepaphos, from the LBA levels of Kissonerga-Skalia and from the Hellenistic settlement on Yeronisos island.
Analytical results show how there are different binder-aggregates macro-systems widespread in the selected area of research. Binders from different historical periods and archaeological sites display similarities and compatibilities, showing consistency on both diachronic and synchronic levels. Another interesting result of this study is the proven compatibility between the binders and the geological stones, hinting at the use of local resources in the production process.
The methodology employed in this study involved petrographic analysis by means of polarized microscope, cathodoluminescence, SEM analysis; XRD and TGA-DSC complete the overview, providing chemical and mineralogical information. This presentation will predominantly focus on the microscopic analysis, while only briefly displaying the chemical data.