Titre : Geochemical study of carbonated formations in the Roman aqueducts of Nîmes and Arles (France) 

Auteurs : Yacine BENJELLOUN, Jean-François HELIE, Julie CARLUT,  

Revue : Archaeology, Society and Environment 

Numéro : Issue 1 

Volume : 1 

Date : 2023/03/14 

DOI : 10.21494/ISTE.OP.2023.0946 

ISSN : 2752-4507 

Résumé : The aim of this study is to reconstruct the climatic variations of the region of Nîmes and Arles in Roman times by exploiting the light stable isotope content (O, C) of five carbonate deposits from the aqueducts supplying these two cities, active between the 1st and 5th centuries AD. Optical microscopy observations suggest a seasonal laminae structure, consistent with sub-annual-scale δ18O measurements. Laminae counts provide estimates of aqueduct operating times consistent with archaeological data. From the measurement of lamina thickness, an age model is developed that allows the variations in oxygen and carbon isotope ratios to be placed in time. Despite the presence of gaps that make the correlation of the samples and the absolute chronology of the deposits uncertain, a pattern of climatic variations is sketched from the 1st to the 3rd century AD. 

Éditeur : ISTE OpenScience