Concretes as Floors - interdisciplinary study on the appearance and diffusion of an innovative technique in Ancient Sicily (4th - 2nd cent. BCE).

混凝土是远古时期在近东发明的建筑构件，从公元5世纪起在整个地中海地区广泛使用。BCE继续前进。在大多数情况下，研究通常将它们视为装饰性物品，很少涉及它们的构成问题。这个问题与其他核心问题(生产方法、施工中的作用)密切相关，应该特别提出关于破碎的陶土混凝土(BTC)的问题，这是最受欢迎的混凝土类型，通常用作地板。古西西里被认为是这项技术历史上的中心位置，该项目将依赖于西西里三个关键地点的BTC地板：Megara Hyblaia，Mgantina和Selinus。为了解决相关问题，它将召集专门从事岩相学分析和具体年代测定的考古学家和物理学家。第一步将是确定BTC地板的物理化学性质及其预期日期。然后，这些结果将使我们能够发现BTC地板的具体生产过程和传统技术的存在；它们还将根据房间的功能突出它们的时间演变和特定用途。

Concretes are construction elements invented in early Antiquity in the Near East and widespread in the whole Mediterranean from the 5th cent. BCE onward. Most of the time, the research has generally considered them as decorative items and has rarely addressed the question of their composition. Closely linked to other central issues (production methods, function in the construction), this question should be especially raised about the broken terracotta concretes (BTC), the most appreciated types of concrete, often used as floors. Ancient Sicily being considered a central place in this technique’s history, this project will lean on BTC floors of three Sicilian key sites: Megara Hyblaia, Morgantina and Selinus. To tackle the issues at stake, it will gather archeologists and physicists specialized in petrographic analyses and concrete dating. The first steps will be to determine the physico-chemical properties of the BTC floors and their prospective dates. Then, these outcomes will allow finding out the specific processes of production of the BTC floors and the existence of traditional knowhow; they will also highlight their chronological evolutions and specific utilisations according to the rooms’ function.