Data di Pubblicazione:
2013
Citazione:
Micromorphological study of living floors and mud features from the excavation of Fewet / A. Zerboni, A. Bernasconi, M. Cremaschi - In: Life and death of a rural village in Garamantian Times. Archaeological investigations in the Fewet oasis (Libyan Sahara). / [a cura di] L. Mori. - Arid Zone Archaeology Monographs. - Firenze : All'Insegna del Giglio, 2013. - ISBN 978-88-7814-594-8. - pp. 119-138
Abstract:
The chapter describes the micromorphological and mineralogical properties of
selected living floors, hearths and earthen architectonic features from the excavation of
the Garamantian compound of Fewet. The study of mud bricks, plasters and mortars employed
in the building of the compound shows a rudimental technology for earthen structures,
which employed raw material available in the vicinity of the settlement. The main
components used for the production of adobes are quartz sand and a calcareous, slightly
organic mud available beside former springs; moreover, they are almost free of clay and
organic temper. Plaster and mortars are slightly different, showing a higher sand content
and the addition of finely subdivided vegetal remains to the mixture. The technology for
earthen features adopted by the Garamantes resembles those described in Sub-Saharan
Africa: plaster from Fewet and banco from Mali and Burkina Faso show a similar preparation.
The micromorphological investigation on living floors identified rooms devoted
to animal penning (characterized by trampling and intense accumulation of fodder) and
domestic spaces arranged with fireplaces. Finally, thin section and XRD analyses illustrated
that features related to firing activities are very rich in gypsic pedofeatures, suggesting that
Tamarix was the most common fuel adopted by the Garamantes in the oasis of Fewet.
Finally, the analyses showed that in the last millennia archaeological sediments underwent
limited postdepositional weathering, mostly related to solute redistribution after occasional
rainfalls.
Tipologia IRIS:
03 - Contributo in volume
Keywords:
Thin section micromorphology ; mud bricks ; plaster ; living floor ; ash ; gypsic pedofeatures
Elenco autori:
A. Zerboni, A. Bernasconi, M. Cremaschi
Link alla scheda completa:
Titolo del libro:
Life and death of a rural village in Garamantian Times. Archaeological investigations in the Fewet oasis (Libyan Sahara).