Caratterizzazione dei geomateriali delle strutture murarie tardoantiche di Nola (NA)

This contribution deals with the characterization of ancient mortars from Brick Amphitheater in Nola and from ancient city walls both dated to the 1st BCE. The aims of this study are to deepen knowledge about mortar mix design, the provenance of used raw materials and the comparison between several mortar samples through a multi-analytical approach involving macroscopic, mineralogical and petrographic investigations. Eighteen mortar samples were collected from different areas of the amphitheater and ancient city walls. Analytical results evidenced the use of local geomaterials composed of sedimentary and volcanic aggregates in the mix design and highlighted the presence of different building phases according to thearchaeologists. Furthermore, the achieved information contributes to the understanding of Roman technical skills and represents a first step to further studies, also abour monitoring and preventive conservation.