Investigating Technology and Raw Materials Source of the Archaic and Classical Architectural Terracottas From the Athenaion in Castro (Apulia, Italy)

Since 2000, archaeological excavations have brought to light the sanctuary of Athena in Castro (Apulia, Italy), including terracotta roofs dated between the 6th and 4th centuries bce. Based on their morphological and stylistic features, it is suggested that the terracotta items were manufactured in the Greek colony of Taras (modern Taranto); conversely, several fragments cannot yet be confidently attributed to any specific production site. To shed light on the technology and the provenance of terracotta roof samples, 20 fragments were investigated using mineralogical and petrological techniques, revealing the presence of four compositional groups featured by different ratios of carbonate and volcanic inclusions. The mineral chemistry of the volcanic component opened interesting geoarchaeological and volcanological issues since it can be ascribed to one of the pyroclastic deposits from Ischia. Finally, these findings provided new insights into terracotta production in Taras, illuminating raw material sourcing, trade routes and technological skills.