Les calcarénites dunaires littorales en Méditerranée orientale : formation, propriétés, exploitation
Résumé
The paper examines ammouda, which is a common type of calcarenite in the Eastern Mediterranean. This soft material is easy to work and to transport and its properties make it a building material of interest for specific purposes. A review of the buildings at Malia in Crete (ca. 2000-1500 BC) shows that early builders took advantage of these properties. Other issues include methods of dating the quarries in relation to the shoreline variations and the problem of locating the exact origin of sandstone building blocks, namely through a project of analysing both the sandy componants and the matrix of the ammouda.