Sulfur Isotope Analysis to Examine the Provenance of Cinnabar Used in Wall Paintings in the Roman domus Avinyó (Barcelona)

Evanthia Tsantini,Takeshi Minami,Joan Carles Melgarejo,Kazuya Takahashi,Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros

doi:10.3390/min11010006

Abstract

Wall paintings in the Roman period were used to decorate both public and private spaces; therefore, they reflect, on the one hand, ideas and convictions, and on the other, daily activities and socio-economic models. Characterizations of the pigments used in mural paintings are useful for determining the economic status of a specific settlement or the importance of a particular area or the buildings within it, since the cost of different pigments varied widely. Isotope analysis can be used to identify the provenance of pigments and to establish whether the raw materials are local, regional, or imported. This provides very important information, as it might be related to both the quality and the cost of the pigments, which, in turn, might be indicators of the socio-economic status of the area in question. The present study examines the sulfur isotope ratios of the cinnabar used in Roman wall paintings sampled from the high-status Roman Domus of Casa d’Avinyó and compares them with the ratios of the analyzed geological ores sampled at various Spanish cinnabar/mercury mines. The results exclude the possibility of the cinnabar being imported from outside the Iberian Peninsula. An isotopic analysis also suggested a few possible sources for the pigments.

Highlights

Wall paintings reflect ideas and convictions, and daily activities and socioeconomic models
We present values of S isotopes detected in other Spanish Roman wall paintings in our previous research (Table 1, indicated with PBAD) [8] and consider the already-published values detected for other European or Asian cinnabar for the sake of comparison (Table 1)
Cinnabar of Terpsichisorteheaonndlythredmuusesde ianntdhethwealilmpaaginintianrgys aorfcthhieteTcrtiuclrienituhmatansudrtrhoeuCndubsiciut luarme. aTlhl e scenes of painted with cinnabar, which is already an important fact to consider regarding the social status of the villa

Summary

Introduction

Wall paintings reflect ideas and convictions, and daily activities and socioeconomic models. Characterizations of the pigments of wall paintings [3,4,5,6] are useful in evaluations of the economic status of settlements and/or the importance of particular buildings, since the cost of the pigments varied widely [7] Isotope analysis makes it possible to determine the provenance of pigments, discerning between local, regional, and imported raw materials, which is especially important since it relates to both their quality and cost, and to the socio-economic status of societies, groups, or individuals. Very few of them have dealt with the identification of sulfur isotopes in the western Mediterranean [8,9,10,11] All these studies have suggested Almadén as a possible source. We present values of S isotopes detected in other Spanish Roman wall paintings in our previous research (Table 1, indicated with PBAD) [8] and consider the already-published values detected for other European or Asian cinnabar for the sake of comparison (Table 1)

History of Use and Preparation of Cinnabar in Antiquity

Cinnabar Mines in Spain: A History of Use

Analytical Routine and Measurements

Conclusions and Further Considerations