València la Vella (Spain) and Late Antique Mortars: A Regional Geochemical Approach

Manel Górriz i Villar, Mirco Ramacciotti, Iván Pérez Torralba, Angel Morales Rubio, Iván Fumadó-Ortega, José María Macias Solé, Albert Ribera, Gianni Gallello
Abstract:
The present work deals with the chemical characterisation of the ancient mortars of València la Vella, a Visigothic site dated between the 6th and 8th centuries AD and located in the municipality of Ribaroja de Túria (València, Spain). Thirty-five mortar samples were collected from different masonries and analyzed by portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to obtain concentrations of major, minor and trace elements, including Rare Earth Elements. Data from multielement analysis were explored by multivariate statistics to detect the possible presence of different construction phases. Furthermore, the results from València la Vella were compared with a database of chemical data from ancient mortars sampled in historical buildings of València surroundings, spanning from Roman Era to Modern times, to observe differences and similarities with other building materials of the area.
Download:
IMEKO-Metroarchaeo-2025-060.pdf
DOI:
10.21014/tc26-2025.060
Event details
IMEKO TC:
TC26
Event name:
TC26 MetroArcheo Conference 2025
Title:

Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

Place:
Bergamo, ITALY
Time:
15 October 2025 - 17 October 2025