Michele Secco
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 3585248 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Michele Secco |
| PRENOMES | Michele |
| SOBRENOME | Secco |
| ASSINATURA | SECCO M |
| AFILIAÇÕES | University of Padua |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9293-0189 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 22 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 154 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 22 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2011 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 8 |
Enhancing quarry landscape interpretation with UAV LiDAR and morphometric clustering
This study presents a methodological framework for early-stage archaeological landscape interpretation using light detection and ranging sensors (LiDAR) mounted to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). By integrating high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs), topographic measurements, k-means clustering, and field validation, the approach moves beyond traditional LiDAR applications for feature detection and towards a usage in preliminary classifi…
A Semi-Automated Machine-Learning Tool for Assessing Building Phases
This study presents the results of the analyses of 15 structural mortars from the building at civ. 21, level +0 of the Sarno Bath complex in Pompeii. These samples were collected during recent stratigraphic excavations (year 2022) for detailed in-laboratory compositional characterization, aiming to trace the construction phases of the originating walls. The 2022 samples were firstly analyzed via quantitative phase analysis–X-ray powder diffractio…
Production technique and multi-analytical characterization of a paint-plastered ceiling from the Late Antique villa of Negrar (Verona, Italy)
The research focuses on analyzing the production techniques and materials of a Roman paint-plastered ceiling from a Late Antique Roman villa near Negrar (Verona, Italy), recently uncovered. Stylistic features of the decoration, found in reworked collapse debris during the villa's excavation, date the ceiling to the original construction phase in the 4th century CE. The paper presents the protocol we adopted for recovering and analyzing the painte…
Volcanic Pozzolan from the Phlegraean Fields in the Structural Mortars of the Roman Temple of Nora (Sardinia)
In this paper, we discuss the presence of volcanic pozzolans in the structural mortars of the Roman Temple of Nora in Sardinia (3rd c. AD), represented by pyroclastic rocks (pumices and tuffs) employed as coarse and fine aggregates. The provenance of these materials from the Phlegraean Fields was highlighted through a multi-analytical approach, involving Polarized Light Microscopy on thin sections (PLM), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy D…
Marble Architectural Elements and Liturgical Furniture of the Santa Giustina Basilica in Padova
This paper examines eight marble samples from the architectural elements and liturgical furniture of the ecclesiastical complex of Santa Giustina in Padova (Italy), founded by the Rufus Venantius Opilio before AD 524. The provenance determination of the marbles was carried out by means of a multi-analytical approach combining mineralogical–petrographic investigations, performed by microscopic observations of thin sections, and the measurement of …
The Late Antique Suburban Complex of Santa Giustina in Padua (North Italy)
New research was recently conducted on the medieval remains of the religious complex of Santa Giustina in Padua (Italy) within the framework of the project ArchiDate. The latter, funded by the University of Padua, gathered scientists from the fields of art history, archaeology, material science and archaeometric dating of building materials. After several decades of debates, the chronological framework for two key ancient structures of the comple…
High‐performing mortar‐based materials from the late imperial baths of Aquileia
This study provides the first detailed insight into the composition and properties of structural mortars used in a 4th‐century AD bath complex in Aquileia, the emblematic center of Roman culture in Northern Italy. Eighteen mortars, taken from different structures of the site, and three stone samples from the vaulting opus caementicium have been analyzed adopting a multianalytical approach integrating optical microscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction, …
Phasing the history of ancient buildings through PCA on mortars’ mineralogical profiles
A total of 83 wall joint mortar samples collected from the Sarno Baths complex in Pompeii (Naples, Italy) were analysed by optical microscopy (OM) and X‐ray powder diffraction‐quantitative phase analysis (XRPD‐QPA) in order to scan the ancient construction phases and modern restorations to which the building was subject. The major issue to overcome in the research depended on the fact that the most part of the analysed mortars was taken from unda…
Mineralogical interpretation of multispectral images
Prescreening Hydraulic Lime-Binders for Disordered Calcite in Caesarea Maritima
Hydraulic lime binders are considered a technological marvel which revolutionized construction techniques in antiquity. The core material is made of a binder that is a mixture of calcite and hydraulic phases, which are amorphous silicate compounds that nanostructurally polymerize into insoluble phases that harden even underwater, formed during the reaction between lime and reactive silicates such as volcanic ash. This is also what makes hydraulic…
The Cannero Castle (Italy)
The mortar samples of the Castle of Cannero (Lake Maggiore, Italy) have been characterized and radiocarbon ( 14 C) dated. The presence of LDH phases was identified. The hydraulic reaction was evaluated by a multi-analytical approach. Careful extraction, preparation and purification of the binder fraction have been performed. Contaminations due to LDH phases have been removed allowing reliable absolute dating of the structures. Non-hydraulic lime-…
Technological transfers in the Mediterranean on the verge of Romanization
Selecting the Most Reliable 14 C Dating Material Inside Mortars
In order to radiocarbon ( 14 C) date a building, several components of the mortar could be used, such as the mortar binder, the lime lumps, the charcoal particles and shell fragments eventually present among the aggregates. In particular, the mortar binder requires a purification treatment in order to separate it from other sources of carbon, which could change the 14 C signature of the binder invalidating the dating process. Here, we present the…
Mineralogical clustering of the structural mortars from the Sarno Baths, Pompeii
The pigments of the frigidarium in the Sarno Baths, Pompeii
Combining multispectral images with X-ray fluorescence to quantify the distribution of pigments in the frigidarium of the Sarno Baths, Pompeii
The Evolution of the Vitruvian Recipes over 500 Years of Floor‐Making Techniques
The paper reports the results of a research project aimed at the characterization of the floor bedding mortars of two Roman houses in Aquileia (north‐eastern Italy), the Domus delle Bestie Ferite and the Domus di Tito Macro. Seventy floor bedding mortars of the two domus were selected and almost half were fully minero‐petrographically characterized by means of optical microscopy operated in transmitted light (OM‐TL), X‐ray powder diffraction anal…
Lime-based injection grouts with reduced water content
Preparation and Dating of Mortar Samples—Mortar Dating Inter-Comparison Study (Modis)
Seven radiocarbon laboratories: Åbo/Aarhus, CIRCE, CIRCe, ETHZ, Poznań, RICH, and Milano-Bicocca performed separation of carbonaceous fractions suitable for 14 C dating of four mortar samples selected for the MOrtar Dating Inter-comparison Study (MODIS). In addition, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) analyses were completed by Milano-Bicocca and IRAMAT-CRP2A Bordeaux. Each laboratory performed separation according to laboratory protocol. Re…
Mortar Dating Methodology
Absolute dating of mortars is crucial when trying to pin down construction phases of archaeological sites and historic stone buildings to a certain point in time or to confirm, but possibly also challenge, existing chronologies. To evaluate various sample preparation methods for radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating of mortars as well as to compare different dating methods, i.e. 14 C and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), a mortar dating intercomparis…
C Mortar Dating
This paper reports the results from applying the Cryo2SoniC (Cryobreaking, Sonication, Centrifugation) protocol to some lime mortars sampled from the citadel of Shayzar (Syria). The overall aims of this project are 1) to use the properties offered by high-precision accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating for the evaluation of absolute chronology with its typical robust time constraints (i.e. 25 14 C yr), and 2) to apply the dating …
Alteration Processes of Pottery in Lagoon-Like Environments
Post-depositional processes in pottery can give rise to chemical and mineralogical alterations, the extent of which is closely related not only to the microstructure and composition of the potsherds, but also to the chemical–physical conditions of the burial environment. The present paper describes the characterization of post-depositional alterations and identification of processes involving pottery buried in lagoon-like environments. A set of v…
Preparation and Dating of Mortar Samples—Mortar Dating Inter-Comparison Study (Modis)
Seven radiocarbon laboratories: Åbo/Aarhus, CIRCE, CIRCe, ETHZ, Poznań, RICH, and Milano-Bicocca performed separation of carbonaceous fractions suitable for 14 C dating of four mortar samples selected for the MOrtar Dating Inter-comparison Study (MODIS). In addition, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) analyses were completed by Milano-Bicocca and IRAMAT-CRP2A Bordeaux. Each laboratory performed separation according to laboratory protocol. Re…
Mortar Dating Methodology
Absolute dating of mortars is crucial when trying to pin down construction phases of archaeological sites and historic stone buildings to a certain point in time or to confirm, but possibly also challenge, existing chronologies. To evaluate various sample preparation methods for radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating of mortars as well as to compare different dating methods, i.e. 14 C and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), a mortar dating intercomparis…
Selecting the Most Reliable 14 C Dating Material Inside Mortars
In order to radiocarbon ( 14 C) date a building, several components of the mortar could be used, such as the mortar binder, the lime lumps, the charcoal particles and shell fragments eventually present among the aggregates. In particular, the mortar binder requires a purification treatment in order to separate it from other sources of carbon, which could change the 14 C signature of the binder invalidating the dating process. Here, we present the…
The Evolution of the Vitruvian Recipes over 500 Years of Floor‐Making Techniques
The paper reports the results of a research project aimed at the characterization of the floor bedding mortars of two Roman houses in Aquileia (north‐eastern Italy), the Domus delle Bestie Ferite and the Domus di Tito Macro. Seventy floor bedding mortars of the two domus were selected and almost half were fully minero‐petrographically characterized by means of optical microscopy operated in transmitted light (OM‐TL), X‐ray powder diffraction anal…
C Mortar Dating
This paper reports the results from applying the Cryo2SoniC (Cryobreaking, Sonication, Centrifugation) protocol to some lime mortars sampled from the citadel of Shayzar (Syria). The overall aims of this project are 1) to use the properties offered by high-precision accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating for the evaluation of absolute chronology with its typical robust time constraints (i.e. 25 14 C yr), and 2) to apply the dating …
Alteration Processes of Pottery in Lagoon-Like Environments
Post-depositional processes in pottery can give rise to chemical and mineralogical alterations, the extent of which is closely related not only to the microstructure and composition of the potsherds, but also to the chemical–physical conditions of the burial environment. The present paper describes the characterization of post-depositional alterations and identification of processes involving pottery buried in lagoon-like environments. A set of v…
High‐performing mortar‐based materials from the late imperial baths of Aquileia
This study provides the first detailed insight into the composition and properties of structural mortars used in a 4th‐century AD bath complex in Aquileia, the emblematic center of Roman culture in Northern Italy. Eighteen mortars, taken from different structures of the site, and three stone samples from the vaulting opus caementicium have been analyzed adopting a multianalytical approach integrating optical microscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction, …
Production technique and multi-analytical characterization of a paint-plastered ceiling from the Late Antique villa of Negrar (Verona, Italy)
The research focuses on analyzing the production techniques and materials of a Roman paint-plastered ceiling from a Late Antique Roman villa near Negrar (Verona, Italy), recently uncovered. Stylistic features of the decoration, found in reworked collapse debris during the villa's excavation, date the ceiling to the original construction phase in the 4th century CE. The paper presents the protocol we adopted for recovering and analyzing the painte…
The Cannero Castle (Italy)
The mortar samples of the Castle of Cannero (Lake Maggiore, Italy) have been characterized and radiocarbon ( 14 C) dated. The presence of LDH phases was identified. The hydraulic reaction was evaluated by a multi-analytical approach. Careful extraction, preparation and purification of the binder fraction have been performed. Contaminations due to LDH phases have been removed allowing reliable absolute dating of the structures. Non-hydraulic lime-…
Technological transfers in the Mediterranean on the verge of Romanization
Mineralogical clustering of the structural mortars from the Sarno Baths, Pompeii
The pigments of the frigidarium in the Sarno Baths, Pompeii
Combining multispectral images with X-ray fluorescence to quantify the distribution of pigments in the frigidarium of the Sarno Baths, Pompeii
Volcanic Pozzolan from the Phlegraean Fields in the Structural Mortars of the Roman Temple of Nora (Sardinia)
In this paper, we discuss the presence of volcanic pozzolans in the structural mortars of the Roman Temple of Nora in Sardinia (3rd c. AD), represented by pyroclastic rocks (pumices and tuffs) employed as coarse and fine aggregates. The provenance of these materials from the Phlegraean Fields was highlighted through a multi-analytical approach, involving Polarized Light Microscopy on thin sections (PLM), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy D…
Prescreening Hydraulic Lime-Binders for Disordered Calcite in Caesarea Maritima
Hydraulic lime binders are considered a technological marvel which revolutionized construction techniques in antiquity. The core material is made of a binder that is a mixture of calcite and hydraulic phases, which are amorphous silicate compounds that nanostructurally polymerize into insoluble phases that harden even underwater, formed during the reaction between lime and reactive silicates such as volcanic ash. This is also what makes hydraulic…
Marble Architectural Elements and Liturgical Furniture of the Santa Giustina Basilica in Padova
This paper examines eight marble samples from the architectural elements and liturgical furniture of the ecclesiastical complex of Santa Giustina in Padova (Italy), founded by the Rufus Venantius Opilio before AD 524. The provenance determination of the marbles was carried out by means of a multi-analytical approach combining mineralogical–petrographic investigations, performed by microscopic observations of thin sections, and the measurement of …
Lime-based injection grouts with reduced water content
Alteration Processes of Pottery in Lagoon-Like Environments
Post-depositional processes in pottery can give rise to chemical and mineralogical alterations, the extent of which is closely related not only to the microstructure and composition of the potsherds, but also to the chemical–physical conditions of the burial environment. The present paper describes the characterization of post-depositional alterations and identification of processes involving pottery buried in lagoon-like environments. A set of v…
C Mortar Dating
This paper reports the results from applying the Cryo2SoniC (Cryobreaking, Sonication, Centrifugation) protocol to some lime mortars sampled from the citadel of Shayzar (Syria). The overall aims of this project are 1) to use the properties offered by high-precision accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating for the evaluation of absolute chronology with its typical robust time constraints (i.e. 25 14 C yr), and 2) to apply the dating …
Preparation and Dating of Mortar Samples—Mortar Dating Inter-Comparison Study (Modis)
Seven radiocarbon laboratories: Åbo/Aarhus, CIRCE, CIRCe, ETHZ, Poznań, RICH, and Milano-Bicocca performed separation of carbonaceous fractions suitable for 14 C dating of four mortar samples selected for the MOrtar Dating Inter-comparison Study (MODIS). In addition, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) analyses were completed by Milano-Bicocca and IRAMAT-CRP2A Bordeaux. Each laboratory performed separation according to laboratory protocol. Re…
Mortar Dating Methodology
Absolute dating of mortars is crucial when trying to pin down construction phases of archaeological sites and historic stone buildings to a certain point in time or to confirm, but possibly also challenge, existing chronologies. To evaluate various sample preparation methods for radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating of mortars as well as to compare different dating methods, i.e. 14 C and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), a mortar dating intercomparis…
The Evolution of the Vitruvian Recipes over 500 Years of Floor‐Making Techniques
The paper reports the results of a research project aimed at the characterization of the floor bedding mortars of two Roman houses in Aquileia (north‐eastern Italy), the Domus delle Bestie Ferite and the Domus di Tito Macro. Seventy floor bedding mortars of the two domus were selected and almost half were fully minero‐petrographically characterized by means of optical microscopy operated in transmitted light (OM‐TL), X‐ray powder diffraction anal…
Lime-based injection grouts with reduced water content
Selecting the Most Reliable 14 C Dating Material Inside Mortars
In order to radiocarbon ( 14 C) date a building, several components of the mortar could be used, such as the mortar binder, the lime lumps, the charcoal particles and shell fragments eventually present among the aggregates. In particular, the mortar binder requires a purification treatment in order to separate it from other sources of carbon, which could change the 14 C signature of the binder invalidating the dating process. Here, we present the…
Mineralogical clustering of the structural mortars from the Sarno Baths, Pompeii
The pigments of the frigidarium in the Sarno Baths, Pompeii
Combining multispectral images with X-ray fluorescence to quantify the distribution of pigments in the frigidarium of the Sarno Baths, Pompeii
Prescreening Hydraulic Lime-Binders for Disordered Calcite in Caesarea Maritima
Hydraulic lime binders are considered a technological marvel which revolutionized construction techniques in antiquity. The core material is made of a binder that is a mixture of calcite and hydraulic phases, which are amorphous silicate compounds that nanostructurally polymerize into insoluble phases that harden even underwater, formed during the reaction between lime and reactive silicates such as volcanic ash. This is also what makes hydraulic…
The Cannero Castle (Italy)
The mortar samples of the Castle of Cannero (Lake Maggiore, Italy) have been characterized and radiocarbon ( 14 C) dated. The presence of LDH phases was identified. The hydraulic reaction was evaluated by a multi-analytical approach. Careful extraction, preparation and purification of the binder fraction have been performed. Contaminations due to LDH phases have been removed allowing reliable absolute dating of the structures. Non-hydraulic lime-…
Technological transfers in the Mediterranean on the verge of Romanization
Mineralogical interpretation of multispectral images
The Late Antique Suburban Complex of Santa Giustina in Padua (North Italy)
New research was recently conducted on the medieval remains of the religious complex of Santa Giustina in Padua (Italy) within the framework of the project ArchiDate. The latter, funded by the University of Padua, gathered scientists from the fields of art history, archaeology, material science and archaeometric dating of building materials. After several decades of debates, the chronological framework for two key ancient structures of the comple…
High‐performing mortar‐based materials from the late imperial baths of Aquileia
This study provides the first detailed insight into the composition and properties of structural mortars used in a 4th‐century AD bath complex in Aquileia, the emblematic center of Roman culture in Northern Italy. Eighteen mortars, taken from different structures of the site, and three stone samples from the vaulting opus caementicium have been analyzed adopting a multianalytical approach integrating optical microscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction, …
Phasing the history of ancient buildings through PCA on mortars’ mineralogical profiles
A total of 83 wall joint mortar samples collected from the Sarno Baths complex in Pompeii (Naples, Italy) were analysed by optical microscopy (OM) and X‐ray powder diffraction‐quantitative phase analysis (XRPD‐QPA) in order to scan the ancient construction phases and modern restorations to which the building was subject. The major issue to overcome in the research depended on the fact that the most part of the analysed mortars was taken from unda…
Volcanic Pozzolan from the Phlegraean Fields in the Structural Mortars of the Roman Temple of Nora (Sardinia)
In this paper, we discuss the presence of volcanic pozzolans in the structural mortars of the Roman Temple of Nora in Sardinia (3rd c. AD), represented by pyroclastic rocks (pumices and tuffs) employed as coarse and fine aggregates. The provenance of these materials from the Phlegraean Fields was highlighted through a multi-analytical approach, involving Polarized Light Microscopy on thin sections (PLM), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy D…
Marble Architectural Elements and Liturgical Furniture of the Santa Giustina Basilica in Padova
This paper examines eight marble samples from the architectural elements and liturgical furniture of the ecclesiastical complex of Santa Giustina in Padova (Italy), founded by the Rufus Venantius Opilio before AD 524. The provenance determination of the marbles was carried out by means of a multi-analytical approach combining mineralogical–petrographic investigations, performed by microscopic observations of thin sections, and the measurement of …
Production technique and multi-analytical characterization of a paint-plastered ceiling from the Late Antique villa of Negrar (Verona, Italy)
The research focuses on analyzing the production techniques and materials of a Roman paint-plastered ceiling from a Late Antique Roman villa near Negrar (Verona, Italy), recently uncovered. Stylistic features of the decoration, found in reworked collapse debris during the villa's excavation, date the ceiling to the original construction phase in the 4th century CE. The paper presents the protocol we adopted for recovering and analyzing the painte…
A Semi-Automated Machine-Learning Tool for Assessing Building Phases
This study presents the results of the analyses of 15 structural mortars from the building at civ. 21, level +0 of the Sarno Bath complex in Pompeii. These samples were collected during recent stratigraphic excavations (year 2022) for detailed in-laboratory compositional characterization, aiming to trace the construction phases of the originating walls. The 2022 samples were firstly analyzed via quantitative phase analysis–X-ray powder diffractio…
Enhancing quarry landscape interpretation with UAV LiDAR and morphometric clustering
This study presents a methodological framework for early-stage archaeological landscape interpretation using light detection and ranging sensors (LiDAR) mounted to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). By integrating high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs), topographic measurements, k-means clustering, and field validation, the approach moves beyond traditional LiDAR applications for feature detection and towards a usage in preliminary classifi…
Building materials and conservation (21 obras) · Geology (19 obras) · Archaeology (18 obras) · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis (16 obras) · Mineralogy (16 obras) · Geography (13 obras) · Materials Science (12 obras) · Mortar (12 obras) · Conservation Techniques and Studies (11 obras) · Composite material (9 obras)