Archaeological and archaeometric investigation of the Roman marble cargos of Porto Cervo (Arzachena, Sassari, Italy) and Secche della Meloria (Livorno, Italy)

Minero-petrographic and geochemical analyses carried out on 35 samples of marble blocks belonging to shipwrecked cargos at Porto Cervo (Arzachena, Sassari, Italy) (23 samples) and Secche della Meloria (Livorno, Italy) (12 samples) indicated that the marble originated from the Apuan Alps (Italy), which implies that the ships presumably came from the Roman city of Luna. Ceramic finds enabled the dating of one shipwreck to the end of the second/beginning of the third centuries ce and the other one to the first-second centuries ce. After an archaeological discussion, authors propose that the destination of the important Porto Cervo cargo (around 222 tonnes) could have been Africa or Sicily, while a site on the way to Portus (Rome) is suggested as a possible destination for the smaller (84 tonnes) Secche della Meloria shipment.