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

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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.