New investigations on concrete floors in Selinous and Megara Hyblaia. The Project CaF “Concretes as Floors”.

The project CaF “Concretes as Floors” is an archaeological study of concrete floors carried out in Selinous and Megara Hyblaia in 2019 – 2020. Petrographic analyses and C-14 dating attempts were at the heart of the investigations, meant to accurately determine the physicochemical properties of the floors and their prospective dates. One type of floor, the ›broken terracotta concrete/mortar‹ (BTC/BTM), most appreciated in the Antiquity, has been particularly investigated during the project because the technique’s developments are still unclear. This paper is a full account on the project’s outcomes: petrographic investigations and dating are described and interpreted, also in terms of archaeological implications. Peculiar construction methods of BTC/BTM floors have been highlighted and diversely explained in Selinous (local technical traditions) and Megara (Roman tradition). Modes of utilisation of the floors in different living spaces have been further evaluated, according to their physical properties. The floors’ dating has brought interesting results and the methods could even be refined during the project.