Provenance of Bitumen from Different Apulian Bronze Age Settlements Through a Biomarker Based Approach

Bitumen has been used frequently in the Near East throughout history until modern times. Natural bitumen, found in solid or liquid form, was exploited and processed by ancient populations in Egypt, Mesopotamia and Syria for several uses such as to repair broken pottery, to waterproof containers or boats, to build the massive ziggurat temple mounds or to haft composite flint tools. Together with the more widely studied and archaeologically important bitumen deposits in the Near East and Middle East, there are several seepages in Central Mediterranean which deserve more attention with respect to their exploitation and circulation in Antiquity. Evidence of bitumen use was found at several Apulian Bronze Age coastal sites 6 , such as Otranto, Roca, Le Pazze (Lecce), Scoglio del Tonno (Taranto), Monopoli (Bari) and Torre Santa Sabina (Brindisi), but there are no archaeometric data about the relevant source(s). Different bitumens from the central mediterranean sea region were studied as a possible source and analysed together with the archa eological samples using a geochemical, biomarker - based approach. The compositions of geological and archaeological samples were determined and provenance established. In the present communication, the relevant results will be described.