This paper discusses the study of stone implements from the Roman site of Volubilis (Morocco), un... more This paper discusses the study of stone implements from the Roman site of Volubilis (Morocco), undertaken in order to identify the types of stone used for different tools found in workshops and to isolate potential quarry sources. As part of the work of the Urban Economy of Volubilis Project, we analyzed the petrology, mineralogy, and geochemistry of sixteen stone millstones and dough mixers. The results show that Volubilis' stone implements likely derived from three different quarry sources, with olive mills, grain mills, and dough mixers each having their own distinct lithology, specifically selected to suit the function of the object. The geochemistry of the stones indicates a local source for all of the samples, including the alkali basalt millstones which are often considered to be imported through long-distance trade. The close proximity of the stone quarries and the evidence for selectivity suggest a degree of communication and reflexivity between the city's craftspeople and those who produced their specialized equipment.
FOLD&R Fasti On Line Documents & Research, 500, 2021
In its sixth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) contin... more In its sixth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside the House of the Two Mills, a modestly-appointed house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the ancient city of Morgantina. This report gives a phase-by-phase summary of the significant discoveries from the 2018 excavation season, highlighting the architectural development of the building as well as evi-dence for the various activities that took place there over the course of its occupation.
FOLD&R Fasti On Line Documents & Research, 487, 2020
In its fifth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) contin... more In its fifth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside the Southeast Building, a modestly-appointed house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the city. The 2016 CAP season had revealed the full extent of the property’s boundary walls and allowed us to propose a cohesive phasing scheme for the building’s construction, occupation, and abandonment. We suggested that the house was occupied for approximately 60-75 years, beginning in the second quarter of the third century BCE. The 2017 CAP excavations resolved a number of remaining questions, particularly those concerning the phasing of the boundary walls, the layout of interior spaces in the southern and eastern parts of the building, and the nature of domestic activities at different stages of the house’s occupation. This report describes the results of these excavations and proposes a new account of the building’s early development. The discovery of two large rotary millstones within the building raises the possibility that the occupants of the house may have specialized in the milling of grains and prompts us to rename the building, “the House of the Two Mills”.
In its fifth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) contin... more In its fifth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside the Southeast Building, a modestly-appointed house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the city. The 2017 CAP excavations resolved a number of remaining questions, particularly those concerning the phasing of the boundary walls, the layout of interior spaces in the southern and eastern parts of the building, and the nature of domestic activities at different stages of the house's occupation. This report describes the results of these excavations and proposes a new account of the building's early development. The discovery of two large rotary millstones within the building raises the possibility that the occupants of the house may have specialized in the milling of grains and prompts us to rename the building, "the House of the Two Mills".
FOLD&R Fasti On Line Documents & Research, 450, 2019
In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) conti... more In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside a modest house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the ancient urban center at Morgantina. Previous CAP excavations, conducted between 2013 and 2015, had verified the presence of an adaptive urban grid in this portion of the ancient city and, moreover, revealed much of the northern part of the building that occupied Lot 1 of insula W13/14S. Following the 2015 excavations, we came to identify this building as a modestly-appointed house that had been occupied for roughly 50 to 75 years, beginning in the second quarter of the third century BCE. The 2016 CAP season represented a significant expansion of the excavation, as four large trenches were set across the entirety of the lot, with the twin goals of resolving stratigraphic questions that remained from previous seasons and exploring the lesser-known southern area of the building. In this report we describe newly excavated evidence for the construction and use of the building as a whole, proceeding phase by phase and trench by trench.
In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) conti... more In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside a modest house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the ancient urban center at Morgantina. Previous CAP excavations, conducted between 2013 and 2015, had verified the presence of an adaptive urban grid in this portion of the ancient city and, moreover, revealed much of the northern part of the building that occupied Lot 1 of insula W13/14S. Following the 2015 excavations, we came to identify this building as a modestly-appointed house that had been occupied for roughly 50 to 75 years, beginning in the second quarter of the third century BCE. The 2016 CAP season represented a significant expansion of the excavation, as four large trenches were set across the entirety of the lot, with the twin goals of resolving stratigraphic questions that remained from previous seasons and exploring the lesser-known southern area of the building. In this report we describe newly excavated evidence for the construction and use of the building as a whole, proceeding phase by phase and trench by trench.
In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) conti... more In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside a modest house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the ancient urban center at Morgantina. Previous CAP excavations, conducted between 2013 and 2015, had verified the presence of an adaptive urban grid in this portion of the ancient city and, moreover, revealed much of the northern part of the building that occupied Lot 1 of insula W13/14S. Following the 2015 excavations, we came to identify this building as a modestly-appointed house that had been occupied for roughly 50 to 75 years, beginning in the second quarter of the third century BCE.
This paper discusses the study of stone implements from the Roman site of Volubilis (Morocco), un... more This paper discusses the study of stone implements from the Roman site of Volubilis (Morocco), undertaken in order to identify the types of stone used for different tools found in workshops and to isolate potential quarry sources. As part of the work of the Urban Economy of Volubilis Project, we analyzed the petrology, mineralogy, and geochemistry of sixteen stone millstones and dough mixers. The results show that Volubilis' stone implements likely derived from three different quarry sources, with olive mills, grain mills, and dough mixers each having their own distinct lithology, specifically selected to suit the function of the object. The geochemistry of the stones indicates a local source for all of the samples, including the alkali basalt millstones which are often considered to be imported through long-distance trade. The close proximity of the stone quarries and the evidence for selectivity suggest a degree of communication and reflexivity between the city's craftspeople and those who produced their specialized equipment.
FOLD&R Fasti On Line Documents & Research, 500, 2021
In its sixth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) contin... more In its sixth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside the House of the Two Mills, a modestly-appointed house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the ancient city of Morgantina. This report gives a phase-by-phase summary of the significant discoveries from the 2018 excavation season, highlighting the architectural development of the building as well as evi-dence for the various activities that took place there over the course of its occupation.
FOLD&R Fasti On Line Documents & Research, 487, 2020
In its fifth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) contin... more In its fifth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside the Southeast Building, a modestly-appointed house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the city. The 2016 CAP season had revealed the full extent of the property’s boundary walls and allowed us to propose a cohesive phasing scheme for the building’s construction, occupation, and abandonment. We suggested that the house was occupied for approximately 60-75 years, beginning in the second quarter of the third century BCE. The 2017 CAP excavations resolved a number of remaining questions, particularly those concerning the phasing of the boundary walls, the layout of interior spaces in the southern and eastern parts of the building, and the nature of domestic activities at different stages of the house’s occupation. This report describes the results of these excavations and proposes a new account of the building’s early development. The discovery of two large rotary millstones within the building raises the possibility that the occupants of the house may have specialized in the milling of grains and prompts us to rename the building, “the House of the Two Mills”.
In its fifth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) contin... more In its fifth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside the Southeast Building, a modestly-appointed house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the city. The 2017 CAP excavations resolved a number of remaining questions, particularly those concerning the phasing of the boundary walls, the layout of interior spaces in the southern and eastern parts of the building, and the nature of domestic activities at different stages of the house's occupation. This report describes the results of these excavations and proposes a new account of the building's early development. The discovery of two large rotary millstones within the building raises the possibility that the occupants of the house may have specialized in the milling of grains and prompts us to rename the building, "the House of the Two Mills".
FOLD&R Fasti On Line Documents & Research, 450, 2019
In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) conti... more In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside a modest house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the ancient urban center at Morgantina. Previous CAP excavations, conducted between 2013 and 2015, had verified the presence of an adaptive urban grid in this portion of the ancient city and, moreover, revealed much of the northern part of the building that occupied Lot 1 of insula W13/14S. Following the 2015 excavations, we came to identify this building as a modestly-appointed house that had been occupied for roughly 50 to 75 years, beginning in the second quarter of the third century BCE. The 2016 CAP season represented a significant expansion of the excavation, as four large trenches were set across the entirety of the lot, with the twin goals of resolving stratigraphic questions that remained from previous seasons and exploring the lesser-known southern area of the building. In this report we describe newly excavated evidence for the construction and use of the building as a whole, proceeding phase by phase and trench by trench.
In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) conti... more In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside a modest house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the ancient urban center at Morgantina. Previous CAP excavations, conducted between 2013 and 2015, had verified the presence of an adaptive urban grid in this portion of the ancient city and, moreover, revealed much of the northern part of the building that occupied Lot 1 of insula W13/14S. Following the 2015 excavations, we came to identify this building as a modestly-appointed house that had been occupied for roughly 50 to 75 years, beginning in the second quarter of the third century BCE. The 2016 CAP season represented a significant expansion of the excavation, as four large trenches were set across the entirety of the lot, with the twin goals of resolving stratigraphic questions that remained from previous seasons and exploring the lesser-known southern area of the building. In this report we describe newly excavated evidence for the construction and use of the building as a whole, proceeding phase by phase and trench by trench.
In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) conti... more In its fourth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside a modest house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the ancient urban center at Morgantina. Previous CAP excavations, conducted between 2013 and 2015, had verified the presence of an adaptive urban grid in this portion of the ancient city and, moreover, revealed much of the northern part of the building that occupied Lot 1 of insula W13/14S. Following the 2015 excavations, we came to identify this building as a modestly-appointed house that had been occupied for roughly 50 to 75 years, beginning in the second quarter of the third century BCE.
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