Archaeometric analysis for provenance and content of Roman amphorae from the site of Sa Mesquida (Mallorca, Spain)

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an inorganic and organic approach to Roman amphorae found at the rural Roman site of Sa Mesquida (Mallorca). A set of amphorae were discovered in some rooms of the earlier phases of the villa. These amphorae were assigned to a general Tarraconensian and Italic provenance on a macroscopic level. In order to verify this and to accurately determine the provenance an archaeometric characterization was carried out on twelve amphorae. The analytical approach combined wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) for the chemical analysis, as well as powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical microscopy by thin-section analysis (OM) for the mineralogical and petrographic characterization. In addition, organic residue analysis by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to investigate the content of some of the amphorae for which wine was suggested on an archaeological basis. The results have allowed for a better provenance determination identifying some amphorae from specific workshops or micro-regions within ancient Tarraconensis, as well as a better definition of the Italic materials. The organic analysis has confirmed the presence of wine in the analysed samples.