Estrazione, lavorazione e commercio del calcare di Aurisina in età romana: il caso delle stele funerarie della Regio X - Venetia et Histria

This study aims to extend our knowledge about the exploitation in Roman times of the Aurisina’s quarries, which are part of the larger extraction district of the Trieste Karst, and about the spread and use of the limestone extracted from there. The investigation considers a particular category of artifacts made of Aurisina limestone, that are the funerary stelae, which have already been extensively studied with regard to iconography and paleography, but which are less analyzed from the point of view of constituent materials and production processes. Funerary stelae are well suited to such an investigation because of several factors. First of all, the study of these artifacts makes it possible to observe the variations in the production process that occurred over time. In addition to this, the wide typological variety that characterizes funerary stelae allows to subdivide the artifacts into types and variants on the basis of common features that can be useful elements in defining the stages of the pro- duction process of the artifacts themselves. At this stage of the study, funerary stelae preserved in the main museums of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia region, were examined.