Francesca Giustini | Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) (original) (raw)

Papers by Francesca Giustini

Archaeometry 61.2, 282-295, 2019

This paper documents the petrographic and isotopic characteristics of some black limestones that ... more This paper documents the petrographic and isotopic characteristics of some black limestones that were exploited in antiquity near the ancient site of Teos in Ionia (south-western Anatolia, Turkey). The best-quality black limestone of Teos is represented by a series of step-cut-shaped blocks situated north of the Seferihisar-Sığacık road, destined to be exported and used for architectural elements. The techniques used to study these blocks allow possible identification of the origin of Teos in ancient black stone artefacts. Nevertheless, petrographic and geochemi-cal investigation on some black limestones that outcrop in the area near Teos has not firmly identified the quarry fronts from which these blocks were quarried away, but it supports the known hypothesis that Teian black limestones were found and quarried in conjunction with the Africano marble.

D. Matetić Poljak - K. Marasović (eds.),Asmosia XI, Proceedings of the International Conference of ASMOSIA (Split, 2016), Split 2018, 2018

The provenance of the marbles of eleven artefacts collected in the temple of Apollo and the house... more The provenance of the marbles of eleven artefacts collected in the temple of Apollo and the house of Augustus at the Palatine Hill archaeological excavations in Rome has been determined using a multi-method approach that includes petrography and isotopes of carbon and oxygen. Two samples are from fragments of statues, one of which is likely the Apollo statuary representation; the other samples are from architectural elements (columns, capitals, plates and cornices). The marbles of the Augustan complex represent the first example of a change in the taste for building materials of monumental architecture at the Palatine Hill in the Augustan age; their introduction started the “marmorisation” process in the area. In this transition, it is especially important to determine if the marble artefacts that were subjects of a religious cult were originals from Greece or copies that were carved during the building of the Augustan complex. In order to discriminate between these two possibilities, it is necessary to identify the geographic location at which the marbles considered were quarried.
In our selection of samples, isotopic and petrographic results indicate that most of the architectural elements are quite unambiguously made of marble of Italic provenance (i.e. Carrara marble), while the fragments of statues, which have a relation to a religious cult, seem to have Greek origin.

Among the numerous funerary evidence in the Roman suburbs, the necropolis of Casetta Mistici play... more Among the numerous funerary evidence in the Roman suburbs, the necropolis of
Casetta Mistici plays a key role for the reconstruction of some aspects of Rinaldone
cultural features. The necropolis is closely located to an eneolithic settlement
and seems to be related to highest social strata. It consists of eight tombs:
seven of them are related to artificial caves and one is a simple pit in the soil.
People were individually buried except for a double deposition and are radiometrically
dated back to an early Rinaldone facies. The typological comparison of
the grave goods, that are mainly constituted by lithic and metal items and weapons,
allows to identify similarity to Rinaldone eponymous necropolis as well as
to Ponte San Pietro and the pit-graves surrounding area. The PRIN 2010-2011
project allows to perform a series of multidisciplinary analysis on the anthropological
and archaeological remains that aided in focusing specific community features.
The anthropological analysis have been integrated by stable isotope analysis
that contribute to shed light on the individual dietary pattern, while the still
ongoing DNA analysis could ultimately define the genetic landscape of this ancient
community. The scenario depicted by the merged archaeological and anthropological
approaches will enable us to describe the role, the mobility and the
social status of this ancient Rinaldone warrior community.

Alpine and Mediterranean Quaternary, 2018

Due to its geographic position and geomorphological configuration, Grotta Romanelli acted as a se... more Due to its geographic position and geomorphological configuration, Grotta Romanelli acted as a sediment trap since at least MIS 5. The so-called ‘terre brune’ sequence is a deposit mainly of eolian origin bearing upper Palaeolithic artefacts and fossil re-mains of vertebrate fauna; it was deposited during the Glacial-Interglacial transition and the Holocene. Sedimentology and mineralogy of this deposit are investigated. The stratigraphic sequence provides a promising archive within which both human and climatic impacts can be studied.

Grotta Romanelli, located on the Adriatic coast of southern Apulia (Italy), is considered a key s... more Grotta Romanelli, located on the Adriatic coast of southern Apulia (Italy), is considered a key site for the Mediterranean Pleistocene for its archaeological and palaeontological contents. The site, discovered in 1874, was re-evaluated only in 1900, when P. E. Stasi realised that it contained the first evidence of the Palaeolithic in Italy. Starting in 1914, G.A. Blanc led a pioneering excavation campaign, for the first-time using scientific methods applied to systematic palaeontological and stratigraphical studies. Blanc proposed a stratigraphic framework for the cave. different dating methods (C14 and U/Th) were used to temporally constrain the deposits. the extensive studies of the cave and its contents were mostly published in journals with limited distribution and access, until the end of the 1970s, when the site became forgotten. In 2015, with the permission of the authorities, a new excavation campaign began, led by a team from Sapienza University of Rome in collaboration with IGAG CNR and other research institutions. The research team had to deal with the consequences of more than 40 years of inactivity in the field and the combined effect of erosion and legal, as well as illegal, excavations. In this paper, we provide a database of all the information published during the first 70 years of excavations and highlight the outstanding problems and contradictions between the chronological and geomorphological evidence, the features of the faunal assemblages and the limestone artefacts.

Study region: Italy. Study focus: The oxygen isotope composition from 266 pluviometers was used t... more Study region: Italy. Study focus: The oxygen isotope composition from 266 pluviometers was used to study the spatial variability of 18 O and its relationship with Italian orography. The local meteoric water lines (LMWLs) of northern, southern and central Italy and Sicily are reformulated and a new definition of isotopic variations with elevation is provided. New hydrological insights for the region: Altitude and, to a lesser extent, latitude are the main geographical factors affecting the isotopic signature of precipitation in Italy. A high-resolution map of the spatial distribution of 18 O content in precipitation was created using the identified relationship between 18 O/Latitude-Altitude and the spatial distribution of the residuals. The general features of the 18 O distribution map may be summarised as follows: 18 O distribution over the Alps clearly depends on latitude and altitude, whereas over the Apennines, which run down the whole peninsula from northwest to southeast , it is more affected by altitude, the contour lines roughly following the axis of the chain. The isotope compositions on the western side of the peninsula are generally higher than those of the east at the same elevation and latitude; they are more or less uniform in the northern plain of Italy.

We compiled a database of some of the most important black limestone quarries used in Roman times... more We compiled a database of some of the most important black limestone quarries used in Roman times to be able to determine the provenance of ancient artifacts. For this purpose, we adopted a multimethod approach using the techniques commonly applied to study the provenance of white marbles: petrographic observations, carbon and oxygen isotope composition, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra characteristics. Few black limestones were quarried and traded in ancient times; indeed, the importance of most of these quarries was restricted to the areas in which they were located. In this work, we selected a limited number of quarries that produced material believed to have been exported and used throughout the Mediterranean area; most of the quarries selected are found in northern Tunisia, i.e. the Roman proconsular Africa: Djebel Oust, Djebel Azeiz, Ain al Ksir and (presumably) Thala. The ''Nero Chiota'' limestone quarried on the Aegean island of Chios (Greece) was also included in the database.

Il Fucino è una conca intramontana (circa 200 km 2 ) situata nell'Appennino centrale, ad una quot... more Il Fucino è una conca intramontana (circa 200 km 2 ) situata nell'Appennino centrale, ad una quota compresa tra 650 e 680 m s.l.m. La sua origine è legata alla tettonica estensionale che, nel corso del tardo Pliocene, ha interessato il settore centro-occidentale dell'Appennino e che ha provocato lo sprofondamento di diversi bacini appenninici (Rieti, Leonessa, ecc.). Questa depressione tettonica è stata colmata, nel tardo Pleistocene-Olocene, da sedimenti fluviali e lacustri. La piana è inoltre bordata ed attraversata da un complesso ma ben noto reticolo di faglie e fratture, caratterizzate da attività sismica. Concentrazioni anomale di alcune specie gassose (anidride carbonica, elio e radon) nel suolo sono state misurate in corrispondenza dei maggiori elementi tettonici dell'area, e potrebbe costituire uno dei più importanti fattori per l'innesco dei fenomeni di sprofondamento (sinkholes) che interessano la piana. I sinkholes più antichi sono posteriori al 1876 (anno in cui è stato prosciugato il lago che occupava la piana), tuttavia gli sprofondamenti sono ancora in atto (l'evento più recente risale all'aprile del 2009) e determinano condizioni di pericolo per i suoi abitanti e danni alle infrastrutture.

Marble quarries exploited in antiquity of the Denizli and Karacasu Basins (Turkey) were character... more Marble quarries exploited in antiquity of the Denizli and Karacasu Basins (Turkey) were characterized by their petrography, carbon and oxygen isotopes, and cathodoluminescence. This study is an useful contribution for provenance studies of archeological artifacts composed of unknown marble. Marble quarries from the Hierapolis, Laodikeia, and Aphrodisias territories were considered; they constitute a homogeneous group of marble extraction districts. Collectively, they were among the most important sites for marble exploitation throughout antiquity from southwestern Anatolia, where only Afyon and Ephesus, which have already been studied extensively, were more important. In spite of that, the exportation of these marbles in ancient times has not yet been demonstrated. This is partially because their identification has never been fully addressed scientifically.
Petrography, isotopes, and cathodoluminescence techniques used together are effective in discriminating among the study marbles. This could facilitate the determination of the provenance of these marbles in local monuments and artifacts. However, it could be difficult to determine the marble provenances in cases where a larger set of possible provenances should be taken into consideration.

The present investigation focused on the origin of CO2 and CH4 in the soil gas and two gas vents ... more The present investigation focused on the origin of CO2 and CH4 in the soil gas and two gas vents present in the Fucino plain, a tectonically active intramontane depression of central Italy. The soil gases have concentrations of CO2 ranging from 1 to 10% and CH4 in the order of a few parts per million. Using carbon isotopes, it was possible to identify two different sources of CO2 in the soil gas: biogenic CO2 (d13CCO2~ –20‰) produced in the fluvio-lacustrine sediments of the plain and CO2 produced from CH4 oxidation in soil (d13CCO2 –34/–38‰). The two gas vents yield CO2 contents of 2.63 and 15.33% and CH4 of 94.7 and 8.5%. In the CH4-dominated gas vent, the carbon isotopes of methane (d13CCH4 = –64‰) point to a gas of microbial origin. The other gas vent, with a d13CCH4 of –52.8‰, may be affected by a microbial oxidation process.

Stable isotope analysis in the reconstruction of human palaeodiets can yield clues to early hum... more Stable isotope analysis in the reconstruction
of human palaeodiets can yield clues to early
human subsistence strategies, origins and history of
farming and pastoralist societies, and intra- and intergroup
social differentiation. In the last 10 years, the
method has been extended to the pathological investigation.
Stable isotope analysis to better understand a dietrelated
disease: celiac disease in ancient human bones
was carried out. To do this, we analyzed the nitrogen
and carbon isotopic composition of human (n537) and
faunal (n58) bone remains from the archaeological site
of Cosa at Ansedonia, on the Tyrrhenian coast near
Orbetello (Tuscany), including the skeletal remains of a
young woman (late 1st century–early 2nd century Common
Era [CE]) with morphological and genetic features
suggestive of celiac disease. We compared the young
woman’s isotopic data with those of other individuals
recovered at the same site but from two later time periods
(6th century CE; 11–12th century CE) and with literature
data from other Italian archaeological sites
dating to the same period. Her collagen d13C and d15N
values differed from those of the samples at the same
site, and from most but not all of the contemporary sites.
Although the woman’s diet appears distinct, chronic
malnutrition resulting from severe malabsorption of
essential nutrients due to celiac disease may have
affected the isotopic composition of her bone collagen.

Applied Geochemistry, 2013

The chemistry and isotope ratios of He, C (δ13C) and H (δD) of free gases collected in the San Vi... more The chemistry and isotope ratios of He, C (δ13C) and H (δD) of free gases collected in the San Vittorino plain, an intramontane depression of tectonic origin, were determined to shed light on mantle degassing in central Italy. The C isotopic composition of CO2 (δ13C–CO2 −2.0‰ to −3.8‰) and He isotope ratios (R/RA 0.12–0.27) were used to calculate the fraction of CO2 originating from mantle degassing vs. sedimentary sources. The results show that CO2 predominantly (average of 75%) derives from the thermo-metamorphic reaction of limestone. Between 6% and 22% of the CO2 in the samples derives from organic-rich sedimentary sources. The mantle source accounts for 0–6% of the total CO2; however, in two samples, located in proximity to the most important faults of the plain, the mantle accounts for 24% and 42%. The presence of faults and fractures allows upward gas migration from a deep source to the Earth’s surface, not only in the peri-Tyrrhenian sector, as generally reported by studies on natural gas emissions in central Italy, but also in the pre-Apennine and Apennine belts. Isotope ratios of CH4 (δ13C–CH4 −6.1‰ to −22.7‰; δD–CH4 −9‰ to −129‰) show that CH4 does not appear to be related to mantle or magma degassing, but it is the product of thermal degradation of organic matter (i.e. thermogenic origin) and/or the reduction of CO2 (i.e. geothermal origin). Most of the samples appear to be affected by secondary microbial oxidation processes.

Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011

This paper investigates the provenance of the black limestone of the monument known as Bocco, nam... more This paper investigates the provenance of the black limestone of the monument known as Bocco, named after the king of Mauretania who presented Silla with this work as a sign of his submission to the power of Rome. A multi-method approach, comprising petrographic observations, carbon and oxygen isotope composition and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra characteristics, was used for this purpose. The monument is part of a reconstruction of a rectangular base (approx. 8 Â 2 m) which is likely to have served as the base for a bronze statuary group and is currently composed of six blocks of limestone whose exterior is engraved with a fine frieze. The results of the different analyses were compared with the data of a published database of the most important black limestone quarries exploited during Roman times in the Mediterranean area. The petrographic and physico-chemical parameters did not prove to be very effective in determining the provenance of the black limestone of Bocco; the isotopes result even raised some uncertainty as to whether all six blocks came from the same quarry, though this doubt was dispelled by the EPR data and, above all, by the evident petrographic similarity between them. Differences in the isotopic composition of the various blocks may be due to an in situ rock alteration process caused by interaction with an aqueous fluid. It was, however, impossible to determine with certainty the origin of the material of the stone artifact using the database available; it is possible that the black limestone of Bocco came from an ancient quarry that is likely to be located in north western Africa but has not yet been uncovered. An alternative hypothesis, according to which the limestone used for the monument of Bocco came from the ancient quarry of Ain el Ksir, one of the Tunisian quarries present in the database, is also discussed.

Journal of Archaeological Science, 2010

Hydrological Processes, 2010

Though the S. Susanna spring system is one of the biggest water sources in the central Apennines,... more Though the S. Susanna spring system is one of the biggest water sources in the central Apennines, its hydrogeological dynamics have been scarcely investigated. This study tried to clarify some of the factors controlling the recharge/discharge processes of this spring by modelling the available climate series, water balance equations and new isotopic and quantitative data, using statistical and raster overlay functions embedded in a Geographic Information System (GIS). Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic data were recorded monthly over a 2-year period at the spring itself and in eight rain gauges in Reatini Mountains. The effective infiltration rate was calculated using the Kennessey coefficients and the Turc equation. Finally, the recharge area was identified with the help of an expert evaluation procedure. Local δ18O and δD versus altitude regression curves were used to validate the digital recharge model by comparing their expected values with the values actually measured.Recharge process was framed within the perspective of the ongoing local climate trends. The current discharge rate of 4·1 m3·s−1 is significantly lower than the average value of 5·5 m3·s−1 measured up to the 1980s, confirming the fall in the recharge/discharge rate. The hydrogeological system shows a delayed response, due to an average groundwater residence time in the aquifer, which is estimated to be about 15/20 years on the basis of the offset between calculated and observed isotope data at the main spring. For this reason the system is presently not equilibrated and is gradually changing towards a final equilibrium discharge estimated in about 3·4 m3·s−1. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Atti del 2° Workshop internazionale ISPRA: I sinkholes – gli sprofondamenti catastrofici nell’ambiente naturale ed in quello antropizzato, 3-4 dicembre 2009, 2009

In this work a geochemical and geological study was carried out on the Fucino plain (central Ital... more In this work a geochemical and geological study was carried out on the Fucino plain (central Italy) to understand the relationship between tectonic activity, groundwater chemistry and circulation and soil gas emissions , in order to improve our knowledge about the genesis of the sinkholes in terms of gas-water-rock interaction . Sinkholes formation in the Fucino plain have started since1876, and this process is still active in numerous places in the plain (the most recent collapse dates back to the April 2009). This investigation that involves geology, geomorphology, soil gas survey, isotope and hydro-geochemistry) has allowed to determine the formation of the sinkholes of the Fucino plain as a
result of the contribution of different processes: karst dissolution, liquefaction of mediumfine alluvial sediments, piping and/or chemical dissolution of quaternary sediments.

Nel presente lavoro la piana del Fucino (Italia centrale) è stata oggetto di studi geologici e geochimici volti a stabilire le relazioni tra tettonica, chimica e circolazione delle acque del sottosuolo e gas nel suolo al fine di migliorare le conoscenze sull’origine dei fenomeni di sprofondamento (sinkholes) in termini di processi di interazione acqua-gas-roccia. La piana è infatti interessata da numerosi sinkholes, i più antichi originatesi successivamente
al 1876, ma tuttora in formazione (lo sprofondamento più recente risale all’aprile del 2009). Le indagini effettuate (geologiche, geomorfologiche, prospezione dei gas del suolo, idrogeochimiche ed isotopiche) hanno permesso di attribuire al fenomeno una genesi non semplicemente carsica, ma in parte dovuta a liquefazione degli orizzonti alluvionali di granulometria medio-fine, in parte a un processo di risalita (piping) di fluidi aggressivi che possono generare sifonamento (asportazione meccanica di particelle solide) e/o dissoluzione chimica della copertura quaternaria.

Atti del Convegno La crisi dei sistemi idrici: approvvigionamento agro-industriale e civile, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, 22 marzo 2007, 2009

La tutela delle acque di sorgente, in particolar modo di quelle destinate al consumo umano, e l’i... more La tutela delle acque di sorgente, in particolar modo di quelle destinate al consumo umano, e l’identificazione delle aree sensibili all’inquinamento antropico delle falde idriche, sono questioni di grande attualità. Determinare l’area di ricarica di una sorgente permette di identificare le aree a rischio più elevato, al fine di una corretta gestione della risorsa. L’operazione di delimitare la zona di pertinenza, in particolare, di grandi sorgenti non è semplice e spesso è basata su osservazioni di natura geologica ed idrologica in cui il grado di approssimazione è molto ampio. Con il presente lavoro è stata messa a punto una metodologia per l’identificazione dell’area di ricarica delle sorgenti che utilizza l’integrazione tra dati bibliografici di natura pluviometrica e idrogeologica e dati isotopici, misurati in una campagna di campionamento eseguita nel periodo marzo
2005-marzo 2006. La procedura è stata interamente sviluppata in ambiente GIS (Geographic Information Systems) impiegando tecniche di analisi geostatistica e algebra cartografica.

Books by Francesca Giustini

This volume presents the results of the Marmora Phrygiae Project, financed by the Italian Ministr... more This volume presents the results of the Marmora Phrygiae Project, financed by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR – Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca) as part of the “Futuro in Ricerca” programme (FIRB 2012). In the period 2013-2016, following a multidisciplinary approach, the project sought to reconstruct the building stone procurement strategies adopted in the city of Hierapolis in Phrygia (Turkey), across a broad chronological time span from the Hellenistic epoch to the Byzantine period. Extensive knowledge of the territory surrounding the city and detailed research into its monuments provided the basis for a painstaking historical reconstruction. The volume describes the economic, social, technological and legal aspects of the use of marble and presents the results of the archaeometric investigations that were conducted in order to characterise the building stones, determine their provenance and assess the state of conservation of the monuments. In addition, the volume illustrates recent research conducted by teams of various nationalities into the marble quarrying districts and monumental complexes of the main settlements of south-western Asia Minor in the Imperial and Byzantine epochs.