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

混凝土是古代早期近东地区发明的建筑元素，从公元前5世纪开始在整个地中海地区广泛使用。大多数时候，研究一般认为它们是装饰物品，很少解决它们的构成问题。与其他中心问题（生产方法，在施工中的功能）密切相关的是，这个问题应该特别提出，特别是破碎的陶土混凝土（BTC），最受欢迎的混凝土类型，经常用作地板。古西西里岛被认为是该技术历史的中心，该项目将依托西西里三个关键地点的BTC地板：Megara Hyblaia， Morgantina和Selinus。为了解决这些问题，它将召集专门从事岩石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，这些结果将允许找出BTC地板生产的具体过程和传统技术的存在；他们还将根据房间的功能突出他们的时间演变和具体用途。

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.