Roman period

Porat, N. and Sh. Ilani (1998), A Roman period palette Composition of pigments from King Herod s palaces in Jerico and Massada, Israel, Israel. Earth Sci. 47, 75-85. 

M.L. Proefke, K.L. Rinehart, M. Raheel, S.H. Ambrose, S.U. Wisseman, Probing the mysteries of ancient Egypt. Chemical analysis of Roman period Egyptian mummy, Analytical Chemistry, 64, 105A 111A( 1992). 

D.A. Scott, M. Dennis, J. Keeney, N. Khandekar, D. Carson, Technical Examination of an Egyptian Cartonnage of the Greco Roman Period, Studies in Conservation, 48, 41 56 (2003). 

Jackson, C.M. (2005). Making colourless glass in the Roman period. Archaeometry 41 763-780. 

Terpenoids are susceptible to a number of alterations mediated by oxidation and reduction reactions. For example, the most abundant molecule in aged Pinus samples is dehydroabietic acid [Structure 7.10], a monoaromatic diterpenoid based on the abietane skeleton which occurs in fresh (bleed) resins only as a minor component. This molecule forms during the oxidative dehydrogenation of abietic acid, which predominates in rosins. Further atmospheric oxidation (autoxidation) leads to 7-oxodehydroabietic acid [Structure 7.11]. This molecule has been identified in many aged coniferous resins such as those used to line transport vessels in the Roman period (Heron and Pollard, 1988 Beck et al., 1989), in thinly spread resins used in paint media (Mills and White, 1994 172-174) and as a component of resin recovered from Egyptian mummy wrappings (Proefke and Rinehart, 1992). 

Formenti, F. and Duthel, J. M. (1996). The analysis of wine and other organics inside amphoras of the Roman period. In The Origins and Ancient History of Wine, eds. McGovern, P. E., Fleming, S. J., and Katz, S. H., Langhorne, PA, Gordon and Breach, pp. 79-85. 

It is likely that, during the early Roman period, silica and alumina, as well as volcanic earths, were used as cements. Portland cement is made from finely ground limestone and finely divided clay to give a burned product containing 70% CaO, 20% Si02, 4% FeA, and 4% A1203, plus smaller amounts of minor oxides (e.g., NazO, K20, MgO, etc.). 

Some Famous Copper Mines. The word copper is indicative of its Cyprian origin. Whether the Island of Cyprus was named for the metal or the metal for the island would be difficult to decide (98). Copper was mined at Cyprus in antiquity, especially in the foothills of the Troodos range along the coast from Marium to Soli, and was its most important product (98) Long before the Roman period, copper was exported from Cyprus as ore and as ingots. The copper mines of this island are still productive (98). 

A.D. were found in old mines, and sizable slag deposits suggest at least some level of lead exploitation during Roman times (2). By the careful selection of Roman lead artifacts likely to have been manufactured in Carthage, and the use of lead isotope analysis, it may be possible to confirm the use of Tunisian lead ores during the Roman period. In this preliminary study, analysis of 22 curse tablets by electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) and six tablets by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) suggest that these artifacts might be used to better understand Roman lead use and trade. 

MacGregor, A. (1985). Bone, Antler, Ivory and Horn The Technology of Skeletal Materials Since the Roman Period. Croom Helm Ltd., Beckenham, Kent, UK. 

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