Radiocarbon dating of a sample of hydraulic mortar from porolissum customs romania

This paper presents the results of AMS radiocarbon dating for a sample of hydraulic mortar taken from foundations of the Roman customs Porolissum -Moigrad, Romania. We test the feasibility of the radiocarbon dating, namely that it delivers an age for the analyzed fraction which belongs to the historical period in question, and is not a result of late or recent interventions. The present case study provides a detailed description of the pre-treatment method of the sample, the stage of obtaining the calcite fraction originating from the moment of mortar hardening in the masonry, the stage of separation and purification of carbon dioxide resulting from the chemical digestion of the final analyte. Some original aspects were developed at RoAMS Laboratory in Magurele. The reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon in the presence of iron catalyst (graphitization), as well as the spectrometric measurement, calculations and calibration are also briefly described. Calibrated result and its interpretation in historical and archeological context recommend the use of this mortar sample in future multidisciplinary analyzes regarding the original recipe and possible sources of raw materials involved in the construction.