Mortars of the Eski-Kermen and Gorzuvit Tombs

Abstract

A comparative analysis of the mortars of two burial structures of the medieval cities of Crimea (on the Eski-Kermen plateau and in Gorzuvit) has been performed. Despite the different purposes of the structures (the tomb on the Eski-Kermen plateau was built inside an existing building, the outer walls of the tomb in Gorzuvit were “built up” to increase the internal space volume), lime mortar was used in both cases. The faunal remains found in the lime base made it possible to clarify the origin of the carbonate raw material used. The lime mortar used on Eski-Kermen was prepared from the Eocene nummulitic limestone, from which, in particular, the plateau itself is composed, while in Gorzuvit the limestone of the Upper Oxfordian deposits of the southern slopes of the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains was applied. Rounded large pebbles (of river or sea origin), sand (presumably of river origin), and plant remains were used as technological admixtures in Gorzuvites. On the Eski-Kermen plateau, due to limited resources, mainly only heterogeneous, fairly large fragments of crushed, partially burnt ceramics are found. The obtained results confirm the hypothesis that the local changes in the mortar composition are associated with the availability of raw materials near the construction site, of both natural and anthropogenic origin.