LAYER BY LAYER: A MORTAR WITH CHARCOAL FROM THE COSTEȘTI-BLIDARU CISTERN
LAYER BY LAYER: A MORTAR WITH CHARCOAL FROM THE COSTEȘTI-BLIDARU CISTERN

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this article is to present the characteristics of a mortar layer from the floor of the cistern discovered by C. Daicoviciu and his team underneath Costeşti-Blidaru fortress. This investigation is based on the published information, on data from the excavation records and on the results of a recent mineralogic analysis of a sample from the layer in question. I compared the layer and the cistern with water related features and structures from the Mediterranean area, in an effort to identify the origins of the techniques that were used during the cistern's construction. Additionally, the recourse to ancient literary sources allowed me to discuss the practices of hydraulic engineers in classical times, in order to assess the validity of C. Daicoviciu’s appreciation, according to which the cistern was built by following "Vitruvian recipes". The final part of the paper contains some observations regarding the chronology of the cistern, based on the techniques that were used and on the chronology of the fortress and its related structures.

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