Informazioni ottenibili da grumi e granuli bianchi contenuti nelle malte di calce storiche

This paper discusses the importance of the small white lumps often embedded in historic lime mortars for our archaeological and historic knowledge of buildings, their variety, and the information that each type of lump can produce. First, the paper discusses the use of lumps for the radiocarbon dating of mortars, followed by a discussion on all possible types of lump and related characteristics. Finally, a discussion on the terminology currently used to identify these lumps is presented. Overall, the paper suggests the importance of such lumps (recently considered as defects), highlights the need of a common terminology describing each type of lump, and the type of lump necessary for a correct application of the radiocarbon dating method.