Aragonite in Roman Wall Paintings of the VIII° Regio, Aemilia, and X° regio, Venetia et Histria

ABSTRACT In the Roman wall paintings different white colours were used, named Paraetonium, Melinum, Anularia, Eretria, Argentaria, etc. FTIR, Raman spectroscopy and X-Ray diffraction were applied to study different white pigments, such as calcite, aragonite, dolomite and huntite, white carbonates present in archaeological findings from roman walls in the Mediterranean region. This study showed that it is possible to distinguish and identify these components in white colours. About 450 samples of Roman wall paintings were analysed and it was observed that often aragonite is associated to precious coloured pigments. On the basis of the obtained results some considerations about the period in which the different kinds of white pigments were used are proposed.