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Archaeometric Characterization of Roman Tile Fabrics from the Sangro Valley, Italy

Goldberg, Eli Aaron

Abstract Details

2012, BA, Oberlin College, Archeological Studies.
In this paper, I use archaeometric methods to investigate the raw materials and manufacture of terracotta roof tiles from three Roman sites in the Sangro Valley, Abruzzo, Italy. Although fragmentary remains of the tegula and imbrex roof system are commonly uncovered at sites throughout the ancient world, these tiles are woefully understudied. Equally obscure are the workings of the economy of Samnium during and after its conquest by the Romans. As mass-produced industrial materials generally manufactured and used within a small radius, tiles may prove to be the ideal medium through which to explore the regional ceramic economy. This study applies ceramic petrography and x-ray fluorescence to tiles from the Sangro Valley Project's excavations at Monte Pallano, Acquachiara, and San Giovanni, as well as to samples of local clays and regional coarsewares, in order to identify mineralogical and chemical patterns related to clay sourcing and tile production. These efforts cast doubt on the validity of current methods for identifying ceramic groups and creating fabric typologies, yet they simultaneously shed light on the nature of tile manufacturing in the ancient Sangro Valley, suggesting a pattern of decentralized production in a diffusely settled area. This, in turn, may prove significant for the archaeological interpretation of social and economic trends in the region.
Susan Kane, PhD (Advisor)
Bruce Simonson, PhD (Committee Member)
R. James Cook, PhD (Committee Member)
F. Zeb Page, PhD (Committee Member)
142 p.

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Citations

  • Goldberg, E. A. (2012). Archaeometric Characterization of Roman Tile Fabrics from the Sangro Valley, Italy [Undergraduate thesis, Oberlin College]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1337712720

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Goldberg, Eli. Archaeometric Characterization of Roman Tile Fabrics from the Sangro Valley, Italy. 2012. Oberlin College, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1337712720.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Goldberg, Eli. "Archaeometric Characterization of Roman Tile Fabrics from the Sangro Valley, Italy." Undergraduate thesis, Oberlin College, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1337712720

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)