Study of historical mortars from the Roman villa of Frielas (Loures, Portugal)

Abstract

The Roman villa of Frielas is an archaeological site from 3rd – 6th century AD located in Loures, Portugal. The villa is on excavation since 1997. A total of eighteen mortar samples were collected from the different structures of the villa with different functional uses (render, filler, and floor) and analyzed by a multi-analytical approach. The results revealed a similar composition of binder, while differences in aggregates allowed to establish several groups. The information was analyzed to understand if historic recipes from ancient Roman treatises as described by Vitruvius were followed in the manufacturing process, or if traditional formulae were adjusted and adapted to meet a specific demand or due to resource constraints.