Search results for " Quarries"

The marble field of Custonaci (Sicily-Italy)

2008

Rotary quern and millstone roughouts beyond their quarries

2019

Anderson, T.J., Alonso, N. (eds), Tilting at Mills: The Archaeology and Geology of Mills and Milling. Revista d’Arqueologia de Ponent. Número Extra 4, 2019. ISBN: 9788491440291 Groups of unfinished quern and millstones (roughouts) have been recovered in Western Europe in the sea, in rivers and along ancient roads. They have also been unearthed during archaeological excavations of cities and rural sites. These different assemblages share similarities: the grinding surfaces are not finished, the eyes are rarely pierced and the handle holes are not cut. These groups evidence a segmentation of the operational sequence of production in Antiquity, from block extraction to their sale, with the tra…

A risk assessment proposal for underground cavities in Hard Soils-Soft Rocks

2018

Abstract Underground calcarenite quarries in Marsala (Sicily) have been involved in a number of collapses that have, seriously damaged numerous buildings. The stability conditions were therefore examined in order to assess risk conditions within the historical centre of the town and the surrounding areas, which are subject to urban expansion. Starting with an extensive collection of historical information, the research was carried out through surveys of the cavities, systematic sampling of material, petrographic analysis and geotechnical testing. The results of laboratory tests and in situ investigations provided a geotechnical characterization of both the intact material and the rock mass.…

The Effects of Structure on the One Dimensional Compression Behaviour of a Porous Calcarenite

2019

Human settlements built on weak rock deposits are often characterized by instabilities or collapse that may involve the underground cavities and consequently the above buildings. Underground calcarenite quarries in Marsala have been involved in a number of collapses that have seriously damaged numerous buildings. Unfortunately proper engineering solutions have not yet been identified according to the different and special cases and to the properties of this structured material. In order to investigate structure effects on the behaviour of the porous calcarenite of Marsala, this paper presents a comparison between the one dimensional compression behaviour of the intact rock and of the same w…

Rock decay phenomena and collapse processes in the “Latomiae del Paradiso” in Syracuse (Sicily)

2014

The Latomiae (origin: Greek latomia, from laas, las stone plus –tomia tomy ) del Paradiso in Syracuse are Magna Graecia rock quarries, located in the coastal areas of Southern Italy and internationally renowned for their impressive environment. The few historical technical records do not help clarify the events that led to their current configuration since a series of instability phenomena occurred due to decay processes over time. Through a geotechnical back-analysis, this work highlights the failure phenomena, which may have led to the current configuration of the easterly side of the Latomiae del Paradiso. The back-analysis process was carried out by means of numerical modelling, support…

L’ultimo sprofondamento a Marsala: l’evento del 21 novembre 2013

2015

The Marsala area, at the western end of Sicily, has been historically interested by quarry activities, both at surface and underground. The carved rocks are Lower Pleistocene calcarenites, defined as “Calcarenite di Marsala” and referred to the Marsala syntheme. The subterranean quarries, now abandoned, show increasing instability signs becoming in time a risk factor for several causes, among which: a) breakdowns due to poor (weak) strength of rock and to large size of voids; b) progressive weathering of rock; c) effects of the discontinuities in the rock mass with the pillars and/or walls of the underground quarries. These factors contributed to enlargement of the subterranean voids and to…

The safety of an industrial archaeological heritage

2013

The present paper analyses an underground and inactive quarry of calcarenite, which belong to a localised area called Cave di calcarenite in Contrada Cuccidenna that has been recognised as a typical example of industrial archaeological heritage. The study of this typical quarry is finalised to the preservation and safe fruition of this site, which represents the history of manufacturing technologies of rocky ashlars. Rock samples from the pillars have been collected and, at first, a petrographic characterisation has been performed. The strength parameters have been estimated by means of triaxial and isotropic compression tests. Through a finite element analysis, the mechanical characterizat…

Inland areas between description and transformation. The case of the disused quarries on the island of Favignana

2022

The Municipality of Favignana is registered in the List of Municipalities of the ‘Inland Areas’ drawn up by the ‘Agenzia per la Coesione Territoriale’1. It is an island in Sicily and belongs to the inter-municipal pole of the city of Trapani. Its municipal territory is spread over the three islands of the Egadi archipelago and therefore also includes the islands of Levanzo and Marettimo. It is classified under category ‘E’ indicating ‘peripheral territory’. As is the case for many of the Italian islands included in the same census, the Egadi archipelago lives its meaning of periphery both in terms of geographical position and, above all, condition. External to the territory of Sicily, and s…

Vegetative propagation of Ruta chalepensis L., pioneer species in stony soils and limestone.

2014

Πλησίον τοῦ τείχους. Aree di culto rupestri e ‘vie sacre’ presso le mura nella Sicilia di età classica ed ellenistica

2020

The niches hewn in the rock in proximity to city gates and-walls are a recurring trait of the peri-urban landscape of Sicilian towns, especially in the south-eastern part of the island. Niches are pierced too, in multiple rows, on the walls of former quarries, in most cases close to the city walls, or in artificial caves used for cultic purposes, as inscriptions and traces of offerings testify. The excavations of Paolo Orsi in the latomie of Syracuse and Acre, in the rock or cave sanctuaries of Noto and Acre itself, and in the upper terrace of the theatre of Syracuse, suggested the main recipients of such worship were some “minor” deities like the Nymphs, the Muses or the Paides, and above …