Scholarlink

<p>This study investigates the possible correspondence between the modern material known as <i>Terra di Nocera</i>, traditionally used in cosmetic and therapeutic applications, and the <i>creta umbrica</i> described by Pliny the Elder as a substance employed in textile treatments. The multidisciplinary approach combined mineralogical and geochemical analyses to characterise samples of <i>Terra di Nocera</i> (<i>Scaglia Cinerea</i> Formation), alongside reference rocks from the <i>Ma</i><i>i</i><i>olica</i> and <i>Bisciaro</i> Formations, and unfired clay loaves found in burial contexts at Serravalle di Chienti. The results demonstrate that <i>Terra di Nocera</i> is compositionally consistent with parts of the <i>Scaglia Cinerea</i> Formation and is characterised by abundant calcite and a clay fraction dominated by illite and smectites—a group of minerals known for their absorptive properties. These properties support its suitability for the textile and therapeutic uses described in ancient sources. The compositional similarity between the archaeological clay loaves and <i>Scaglia Cinerea</i> samples suggests a likely shared origin, though post-depositional processes or intentional mixing cannot be excluded. While the identification of <i>Terra di Nocera</i> with Pliny’s <i>creta umbrica</i> remains hypothetical, the analytical evidence lends support to this hypothesis and underscores the cultural and functional relevance of this material from antiquity to the present.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Pliny’s Creta umbrica reconsidered: connections with Terra di nocera and clay loaves from Umbrian necropoleis

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月16日

查看全文
  • Elisabetta Gliozzo,
  • Pier Lorenzo Fantozzi,
  • Nicoletta Frapiccini,
  • Vayia Xanthopoulou,
  • Ioannis Iliopoulos

摘要

This study investigates the possible correspondence between the modern material known as Terra di Nocera, traditionally used in cosmetic and therapeutic applications, and the creta umbrica described by Pliny the Elder as a substance employed in textile treatments. The multidisciplinary approach combined mineralogical and geochemical analyses to characterise samples of Terra di Nocera (Scaglia Cinerea Formation), alongside reference rocks from the Maiolica and Bisciaro Formations, and unfired clay loaves found in burial contexts at Serravalle di Chienti. The results demonstrate that Terra di Nocera is compositionally consistent with parts of the Scaglia Cinerea Formation and is characterised by abundant calcite and a clay fraction dominated by illite and smectites—a group of minerals known for their absorptive properties. These properties support its suitability for the textile and therapeutic uses described in ancient sources. The compositional similarity between the archaeological clay loaves and Scaglia Cinerea samples suggests a likely shared origin, though post-depositional processes or intentional mixing cannot be excluded. While the identification of Terra di Nocera with Pliny’s creta umbrica remains hypothetical, the analytical evidence lends support to this hypothesis and underscores the cultural and functional relevance of this material from antiquity to the present.