UTILIZAREA GUDRONULUI DIN COAJĂ DE MESTEACĂN ÎN PERIOADA ROMANĂ LA APULUM
USE OF BIRCH BARK TAR DURING THE ROMAN PERIOD AT APULUM

Summary/Abstract: One of the first substances chemically synthesised by controlled burning by human communities was tar obtained from wood which was documented from the Middle Paleolithic to modern times. Manufacturing involved dry distillation of birch or conifer wood and bark, the extract being a liquid black solution that gradually hardens in contact with air. It was used as an adhesive to assemble objects made of different materials (stone, bone), waterproofing coating, decorating or repairing ceramic pots, fastening wooden components of boats, treating skins and even writing on different supports, as sole solution or in combination with other substances with plasticizing role.Determination is conducted by analytical investigations (FTIR, GC-MS) of residues preserved in the archaeological layers or fastened on different materials, especially ceramics.Our study presents a Roman ceramic pot discovered at Apulum which contains inside tar marks from birch bark determined by the FTIR method. Similarly, we try to draw attention to other pieces from different historical eras that contain residues, that have been repaired or decorated with organic materials, and may have the same nature.

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