In 1980, the courtyard of the headquarters of the Banca Popolare of Ravenna, was excavated to build several underground rooms. The excavations brought into light finding of a complex archaeological sequence, with stratification up to more than 3 metres deep in places. At the lower level were found remains of a building characterised by a tower. At the end of the excavations, the tower was reassembled inside the headquarters of the bank, where is still present. The remains of this tower are important for two reasons: Firstly, because in Ravenna, masonry represents one of the uncommon examples of masonry devoid of repairs: it can be an ideal condition to look for samples not contaminated by XIX-XX centuries restorations. Secondly, because of the material employed, in fact the bricks used in the construction of the tower are all in one piece and used for the first time. This feature is commonly assumed by the archaeologists as usual of the Ravenna medieval masonries, only since the late Middle Age. Thanks to the head of the Banca Popolare of Ravenna, and to the “Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici e per il Paesaggio di Ravenna” involved in the conservation of Ravenna cultural heritage, it was possible extract representative samples (bricks and mortars) from the tower's structure. A petrochemical-mineralogical characterisation of these samples was carried out using bulk techniques, that analyse a few grams of homogenised (powdered) samples, and thin section microscopical analysis that allow to investigate the composition of the samples, considering their heterogeneity at a micrometre scale. Samples from other historical buildings in Ravenna were characterised the same way. This approach will allow the definition of the technological level of bricks' and mortars' production in Ravenna during the Middle Age, and to identify potential differences between these materials, and other used in the XIX-XX centuries restorations.
Petro-archaeometrical characterisation of the Medieval Tower of “Banca Popolare di Ravenna” (Ravenna-Italy): Preliminary results.
MARROCCHINO, Elena;
2008
Abstract
In 1980, the courtyard of the headquarters of the Banca Popolare of Ravenna, was excavated to build several underground rooms. The excavations brought into light finding of a complex archaeological sequence, with stratification up to more than 3 metres deep in places. At the lower level were found remains of a building characterised by a tower. At the end of the excavations, the tower was reassembled inside the headquarters of the bank, where is still present. The remains of this tower are important for two reasons: Firstly, because in Ravenna, masonry represents one of the uncommon examples of masonry devoid of repairs: it can be an ideal condition to look for samples not contaminated by XIX-XX centuries restorations. Secondly, because of the material employed, in fact the bricks used in the construction of the tower are all in one piece and used for the first time. This feature is commonly assumed by the archaeologists as usual of the Ravenna medieval masonries, only since the late Middle Age. Thanks to the head of the Banca Popolare of Ravenna, and to the “Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici e per il Paesaggio di Ravenna” involved in the conservation of Ravenna cultural heritage, it was possible extract representative samples (bricks and mortars) from the tower's structure. A petrochemical-mineralogical characterisation of these samples was carried out using bulk techniques, that analyse a few grams of homogenised (powdered) samples, and thin section microscopical analysis that allow to investigate the composition of the samples, considering their heterogeneity at a micrometre scale. Samples from other historical buildings in Ravenna were characterised the same way. This approach will allow the definition of the technological level of bricks' and mortars' production in Ravenna during the Middle Age, and to identify potential differences between these materials, and other used in the XIX-XX centuries restorations.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
