Análisis arqueométrico de tres esculturas romanas de la villa de Salar (Granada, España)

Abstract

This paper shows the archaeometric study carried out on three Roman sculptures located in the Roman villa of Salar (Granada, Spain). These are two Nymphe sculptures and a Venus made of white marble. The different samples have been studied from a petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical point of view and have been compared with local marbles such as Almaden de la Plata, and foreign ones such as Pentelic, Paros and Naxos, in order to identify their origin. The data indicate that in the elaboration of two statues (one Nymphe and Venus) Pentelic marble has been used, and in the second sculpture of Nymphe is used a local marble, perhaps, from Almaden de la Plata This study is of interest since there are few archaeometric studies conducted on archaeological pieces in this area of Roman Baetica and consequently little is known about the areas of supply and commercial circuit of marbles in the Eastern sector of the South of Hispania.