13C, 25Mg, and 43Ca Solid-State NMR for the Purpose of Dolomitic Marbles Provenance Elucidation

Isabelle Pianet (1) , Anna Gutiérrez Garcia-M (2) , Marie-Claire Savin (3) , Nicolas Frerebeau (1) , Julien Trébosc (4) , Pierre Florian (5) , Pilar Lapuente Mercadal (6)

1 Archéosciences Bordeaux
2 ICAC - INSTITUT CATALÀ D'ARQUEOLOGIA CLÀSSICA
3 UAB - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona = Autonomous University of Barcelona = Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona
4 IMEC - Institut Michel Eugène Chevreul - FR 2638
5 CEMHTI - Conditions Extrêmes et Matériaux : Haute Température et Irradiation
6 Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra

The study of the provenance of dolomitic marble artefacts has become relevant since it was discovered that quarries of this marble other than that of Cape-Vathy located on the island of Thasos have been exploited since Antiquity. To improve our knowledge about the provenance of materials and the extent of their dispersion, multiple archaeometric studies were performed in the past including isotope analyses, petrography, cathodoluminescence, and elemental analyses. In the present work, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been added to this panel of techniques. NMR allows the characterization of the material at a molecular level by looking at different nuclei: carbon, magnesium, and calcium. Statistical analysis of the data collected on both quarry samples and archaeologic items was also implemented and clearly demonstrates the efficiency of a holistic approach for provenance elucidation. Finally, the first 25Mg NMR tests have shown the potential of this technique to discriminate between dolomitic marbles of different provenance. The results are discussed in terms of their historical meaning and illustrate the exploitation of sources of dolomitic marbles other than the Greek Thasos source.

Mots clés: NMR; Marble; Stable isotope; Elemental analysis; Provenance studies

Domaines: Chimie analytique; Matériaux; Archéologie et Préhistoire

Isabelle Pianet, Anna Gutiérrez Garcia-M, Marie-Claire Savin, Nicolas Frerebeau, Julien Trébosc, et al.. 13C, 25Mg, and 43Ca Solid-State NMR for the Purpose of Dolomitic Marbles Provenance Elucidation. Materials, 2023, 16 (4), pp.1468. ⟨10.3390/ma16041468⟩. ⟨hal-03980519⟩