Nuove acquisizioni sui siti di provenienza del Tufo del Palatino impiegato nella costruzione delle ‘Mura Serviane’: implicazioni storiche e archeologiche

Abstract

Recent research on the provenance of the Tufo del Palatino employed in Rome for the construction of the archaic-period circuit walls
provides evidence for the exploitation of conveniently located quarry sites situated in the immediate vicinity of the various sections of
the fortfication.
The analysis of the archaeological record, together with the geochemical homogeneity observed in pairs of samples collected from
the same stretch of the walls, further indicates that the depth of the trenches excavated in front of the fortifications was determined by
the need to reach the Tufo del Palatino bedrock.
This evidence points to a deliberate strategy aimed at exploiting distinct quarry areas, specifically identified and worked for the construction
of a particular public monument - a practice already documented in the realization of the foundation platform of the Temple
of Jupiter Capitolinus.