| Abstract |
Investigations on materials used in historical monuments are of great importance to support studies on archaeology, history and conservation sciences. Most of these investigations focus the characterization, evaluation of the state of conservation and provenance of ornamental stones and mortars but little attention is given to stones in rubble stone masonry. Nevertheless, the determination of their provenance can predictably contribute to expand the knowledge about the site/monument history and eventually provide some clues for the comprehension of constructive processes, as well. This investigation aimed at ascertaining the provenance of the stone blocks of the masonry walls of National Palace of Sintra through their mineralogical and petrographic characterization and by deepening the available information about the local geology. Besides, it aimed at ascertaining if the spatial distribution of the lithotypes across the monument walls can contribute for increasing the historical information about its constructive evolution. Four outcropping units comprising metamorphized carbonate rocks were identified beneath the monument. Petrographic and mineralogical correspondence between these outcropping rocks and the stone blocks from masonry walls indicate that the local bedrock was exploited to build the Palace masonry walls. The grouping of different masonry walls according to their stone diversity showed interesting correspondences with the thought constructive periods and/or with the relative position of the walls to the ground. Although this information does not validate construction periods per se, it will further contribute to better comprehend the constructive evolution of the monument when gathered with other information from the masonry analysis to be addressed in future works. |
