Characterization of XVIIIth century earthen mortars from Cremona (Northern Italy): Insights on a manufacturing tradition

• An archeometric study of XVIIIth century earthen mortars from Cremona is proposed.
• Earthen mortars are a mixture of quartz-rich sediments/soils, lime and wood ashes.
• Lumps and thin white levels at mortar/brick interfaces testify the addition of lime.
• Geochemical data were treated with a multivariate statistical approach.

Earthen mortars have been widely used in low and high status architectures of Cremona (Northern Italy) since Roman times until the XIXth century. The mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical study of XVIIIth century earthen mortars from Cremona allowed to have insights on the typology of silicate raw materials utilized for their production. The occurrence of CaO-rich levels with abundant neogenic phases and widespread dissolution textures suggests that small amounts of lime and other additives were blended with the silicate mixture. The results of this work help answer archeological questions about these poorly known masonry materials and provide insights for restoration purposes.