Production technology of early-Hellenistic lime-based mortars from a Punic-Roman residential area at Palermo (Sicily)

The topic of this study was the mineralogical and petrographic characterization of lime-based mortars of Hellenistic-Roman age (3rd century BC), taken from a residential area located in the historical centre of Palermo, near the walls of the Punic-Roman Neapolis, recently brought to light by excavations carried out by the Soprintendenza BB.CC.AA. of Palermo at Palazzo del Gran Cancelliere (Palermo). The collected mortars have been analyzed by optical microscopy (PLM), X-ray powder diffraction analysis (XRPD) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS). The study was aimed to define the “recipe” (composition of temper and binder, temper size distrib…