Dating of a ring on one of the largest known Roman iron anchors (La Grande-Motte, France): Combined metal and organic material radiocarbon analysis

Sébastien Berthaut-Clarac; Emmanuel Nantet; Stéphanie Leroy; Emmanuelle Delqué-Količ; Marion Perron; Pierre Adam; Philippe Schaeffer; Céline Kerfant

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103693

Dating of a ring on one of the largest known Roman iron anchors (La Grande-Motte, France): Combined metal and organic material radiocarbon analysis

Sébastien Berthaut-Clarac, Emmanuel Nantet, Stéphanie Leroy, Emmanuelle Delqué-Količ, Marion Perron, Pierre Adam, Philippe Schaeffer, Céline Kerfant

Department of Maritime Civilizations

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Underwater operations conducted along the southern French coast have unveiled two large, isolated anchors of iron. The largest ever found in the ancient Mediterranean, they reveal that Roman merchantmen moored in Aigues-Mortes Bay. A combination of analyses focusing on the ring, which belonged to one of the two anchors, offered the opportunity to collect data from isolated anchors and to document their production. Radiocarbon analysis, conducted for the first time on this type of object, determined that they were manufactured in the early imperial period. Another key discovery was a layer of fibers found in a concretion from the ring, which revealed rare remnants of ropes impregnated with pitch that could correspond to puddening. The replication of similar analyses on rings belonging to other anchors would provide a better understanding of this crucial component for ancient mooring.

Original language	English
Article number	103693
Journal	Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Volume	46
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103693
State	Published - Dec 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Our thanks go to Max Guérout (GRAN/FED 4124) and Groupe de Recherche en Archéologie Navale, who conducted the operations. We are also grateful to Gregory Votruba for his precious advice. The probes were subsidized by Région Occitanie, Conseil Départemental de l'Hérault, DRASSM and CRESEM. The municipality of La Grande-Motte, the diving club La Palanquée, and the company Étrave Travaux, which extracted the anchor, provided superb logistical support for the underwater operations. Thanks are also due to Christophe Moulherat for taking SEM photos of the fibers and to Dana Katz for her editorial support in the preparation of the manuscript. Athenaeus, The Learned banqueters. 2, Books III.106e-V (edited and translated by S. Douglas Olson, 2006. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press). Dionysius of Halicarnassus, The Roman antiquities (trans. Earnest Cary and Edward Spelman, 1953. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press). Aubin, N. 1702. Dictionnaire de marine contenant les termes de la navigation et de l'architecture navale avec les règles & proportions qui doivent y être observées. Amsterdam, Pierre Brunel. Martelli, C. 1838. The Naval Officer's Guide for preparing ships for sea. London, Richard Bentley. 2nd edition.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

Fibers
Large iron anchors
Pitch
Puddening
Radiocarbon analysis
Ring

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Archaeology
Archaeology

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103693

Cite this

Berthaut-Clarac, S., Nantet, E., Leroy, S., Delqué-Količ, E., Perron, M., Adam, P., Schaeffer, P., & Kerfant, C. (2022). Dating of a ring on one of the largest known Roman iron anchors (La Grande-Motte, France): Combined metal and organic material radiocarbon analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 46, Article 103693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103693

@article{4489a2af07d449589a5ba8bd49e58cec,

title = "Dating of a ring on one of the largest known Roman iron anchors (La Grande-Motte, France): Combined metal and organic material radiocarbon analysis",

abstract = "Underwater operations conducted along the southern French coast have unveiled two large, isolated anchors of iron. The largest ever found in the ancient Mediterranean, they reveal that Roman merchantmen moored in Aigues-Mortes Bay. A combination of analyses focusing on the ring, which belonged to one of the two anchors, offered the opportunity to collect data from isolated anchors and to document their production. Radiocarbon analysis, conducted for the first time on this type of object, determined that they were manufactured in the early imperial period. Another key discovery was a layer of fibers found in a concretion from the ring, which revealed rare remnants of ropes impregnated with pitch that could correspond to puddening. The replication of similar analyses on rings belonging to other anchors would provide a better understanding of this crucial component for ancient mooring.",

keywords = "Fibers, Large iron anchors, Pitch, Puddening, Radiocarbon analysis, Ring",

author = "S{\'e}bastien Berthaut-Clarac and Emmanuel Nantet and St{\'e}phanie Leroy and Emmanuelle Delqu{\'e}-Koli{\v c} and Marion Perron and Pierre Adam and Philippe Schaeffer and C{\'e}line Kerfant",

note = "Funding Information: Our thanks go to Max Gu{\'e}rout (GRAN/FED 4124) and Groupe de Recherche en Arch{\'e}ologie Navale, who conducted the operations. We are also grateful to Gregory Votruba for his precious advice. The probes were subsidized by R{\'e}gion Occitanie, Conseil D{\'e}partemental de l'H{\'e}rault, DRASSM and CRESEM. The municipality of La Grande-Motte, the diving club La Palanqu{\'e}e, and the company {\'E}trave Travaux, which extracted the anchor, provided superb logistical support for the underwater operations. Thanks are also due to Christophe Moulherat for taking SEM photos of the fibers and to Dana Katz for her editorial support in the preparation of the manuscript. Athenaeus, The Learned banqueters. 2, Books III.106e-V (edited and translated by S. Douglas Olson, 2006. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press). Dionysius of Halicarnassus, The Roman antiquities (trans. Earnest Cary and Edward Spelman, 1953. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press). Aubin, N. 1702. Dictionnaire de marine contenant les termes de la navigation et de l'architecture navale avec les r{\`e}gles & proportions qui doivent y {\^e}tre observ{\'e}es. Amsterdam, Pierre Brunel. Martelli, C. 1838. The Naval Officer's Guide for preparing ships for sea. London, Richard Bentley. 2nd edition. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Elsevier Ltd",

year = "2022",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103693",

language = "English",

volume = "46",

journal = "Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports",

issn = "2352-409X",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Dating of a ring on one of the largest known Roman iron anchors (La Grande-Motte, France)

T2 - Combined metal and organic material radiocarbon analysis

AU - Berthaut-Clarac, Sébastien

AU - Nantet, Emmanuel

AU - Leroy, Stéphanie

AU - Delqué-Količ, Emmanuelle

AU - Perron, Marion

AU - Adam, Pierre

AU - Schaeffer, Philippe

AU - Kerfant, Céline

N1 - Funding Information: Our thanks go to Max Guérout (GRAN/FED 4124) and Groupe de Recherche en Archéologie Navale, who conducted the operations. We are also grateful to Gregory Votruba for his precious advice. The probes were subsidized by Région Occitanie, Conseil Départemental de l'Hérault, DRASSM and CRESEM. The municipality of La Grande-Motte, the diving club La Palanquée, and the company Étrave Travaux, which extracted the anchor, provided superb logistical support for the underwater operations. Thanks are also due to Christophe Moulherat for taking SEM photos of the fibers and to Dana Katz for her editorial support in the preparation of the manuscript. Athenaeus, The Learned banqueters. 2, Books III.106e-V (edited and translated by S. Douglas Olson, 2006. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press). Dionysius of Halicarnassus, The Roman antiquities (trans. Earnest Cary and Edward Spelman, 1953. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press). Aubin, N. 1702. Dictionnaire de marine contenant les termes de la navigation et de l'architecture navale avec les règles & proportions qui doivent y être observées. Amsterdam, Pierre Brunel. Martelli, C. 1838. The Naval Officer's Guide for preparing ships for sea. London, Richard Bentley. 2nd edition. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2022/12

Y1 - 2022/12

N2 - Underwater operations conducted along the southern French coast have unveiled two large, isolated anchors of iron. The largest ever found in the ancient Mediterranean, they reveal that Roman merchantmen moored in Aigues-Mortes Bay. A combination of analyses focusing on the ring, which belonged to one of the two anchors, offered the opportunity to collect data from isolated anchors and to document their production. Radiocarbon analysis, conducted for the first time on this type of object, determined that they were manufactured in the early imperial period. Another key discovery was a layer of fibers found in a concretion from the ring, which revealed rare remnants of ropes impregnated with pitch that could correspond to puddening. The replication of similar analyses on rings belonging to other anchors would provide a better understanding of this crucial component for ancient mooring.

AB - Underwater operations conducted along the southern French coast have unveiled two large, isolated anchors of iron. The largest ever found in the ancient Mediterranean, they reveal that Roman merchantmen moored in Aigues-Mortes Bay. A combination of analyses focusing on the ring, which belonged to one of the two anchors, offered the opportunity to collect data from isolated anchors and to document their production. Radiocarbon analysis, conducted for the first time on this type of object, determined that they were manufactured in the early imperial period. Another key discovery was a layer of fibers found in a concretion from the ring, which revealed rare remnants of ropes impregnated with pitch that could correspond to puddening. The replication of similar analyses on rings belonging to other anchors would provide a better understanding of this crucial component for ancient mooring.

KW - Fibers

KW - Large iron anchors

KW - Pitch

KW - Puddening

KW - Radiocarbon analysis

KW - Ring

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85141330658&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103693

DO - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103693

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85141330658

SN - 2352-409X

VL - 46

JO - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

JF - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

M1 - 103693

ER -

Dating of a ring on one of the largest known Roman iron anchors (La Grande-Motte, France): Combined metal and organic material radiocarbon analysis

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this