https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240701131824.htm Skip to main content ScienceDaily --------------------------------------------------------------------- Your source for the latest research news Follow: Facebook X/Twitter Subscribe: RSS Feeds Newsletter New! Sign up for our free email newsletter. Science News from research organizations --------------------------------------------------------------------- Layers of carbonate provide insight into the world of the ancient Romans With the help of carbonate deposits, researchers have been able to reconstruct the development of the former water mills of Barbegal over time Date: July 1, 2024 Source: Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz Summary: Archaeologists face a major challenge when they intend to acquire information about buildings or facilities of which only ruins remain. This was a particular challenge for the remnants of the Roman water mills in Barbegal in Southern France, dating back to the 2nd century CE. This unique industrial complex consisted of 16 water wheels placed in parallel rows. Little could at first be deduced about the site from these now scant ruins -- except that the wheels were supplied by an aqueduct that brought water from the surrounding hills. Researchers have now unraveled the history of the mill complex using calcium carbonate deposits that are now stored in the Archaeological Museum of Arles. These deposits had formed towards the end of the roughly 100-year operational life of the Barbegal water mills on the sides and base of the wooden supply system that conveyed the water to the wheels. Share: Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email FULL STORY --------------------------------------------------------------------- Archaeologists face a major challenge when they intend to acquire information about buildings or facilities of which only ruins remain. This was a particular challenge for the remnants of the Roman water mills in Barbegal in Southern France, dating back to the 2nd century CE. This unique industrial complex consisted of 16 water wheels placed in parallel rows, eight on the east and eight on the west side, which were operated in a waterfall-like arrangement. Little could at first be deduced about the site from these now scant ruins -- except that the wheels were supplied by an aqueduct that brought water from the surrounding hills. A coin issued during the reign of the Emperor Trajan discovered in a basin above the mill complex as well as the structural characteristics of the site indicate that the mill was in use for about 100 years. However, the type of mill wheels, their function and how they were employed has remained a mystery until now. Carbonate fragments provide remarkable information Professor Cees W. Passchier and Dr. Gul Surmelihindi from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), in collaboration with colleagues from France and Austria, have now unraveled the history of the mill complex using calcium carbonate deposits that are now stored in the Archaeological Museum of Arles. These deposits had formed towards the end of the roughly 100-year operational life of the Barbegal water mills on the sides and base of the wooden supply system that conveyed the water to the wheels. "We show that it is possible to reconstruct to a large extent the history of a water mill on the basis of such carbonate deposits," stated Passchier, head of the JGU team. First, the researchers had to fit some of the total of 140 stored pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle, then they analyzed the layers using various techniques, including mass spectrometry. Wooden water wheels and gutters were replaced The researchers have now published their results in Geoarchaeology. "We were able to show, for example, that wooden water wheels and water channels had to be replaced after three to eight years. In at least one case, an old water wheel was replaced by a larger one," said Passchier. The researchers drew this conclusion from the unusual shape of the carbonate deposits that had formed in the water channel. While the lower and earlier layers indicate that water levels must have originally been relatively low, upper and later carbonate layers indicate a higher water level. The possibility that there was originally less water flowing through the water channel which was subsequently increased was rejected by the researchers. They established that -- for a gently sloping water channel and low water level -- the amount of water provided would not have been sufficient to drive a mill wheel. Therefore, the inclination of the water channel must have been altered, from what was at first a steeper angle with a low water level to a shallower slope transporting water at a correspondingly higher level. "The entire structure of this water mill must have been modified," said Passchier. "If you uplift the water channel alone, the water tends to splatter, losing the power to drive the wheel efficiently. Thus, when you uplift the water channel, you also need a larger water wheel." In fact, a section of carbonate deposit formed on the water wheel corroborates this conclusion as it does not contain all the carbonate layers but only those of the latter years of operation. Results of isotope analysis provide evidence of the mill's service life Using isotope analysis of the carbonate layers, the researchers were even able to ascertain the operating periods before which parts of the mill required renewal. Carbonate contains oxygen and the relative ratios of oxygen isotopes differ depending on water temperature. Based on the isotope composition in the carbonate layers, the researchers were able to infer water temperatures and thus identify the seasons in which the layers were deposited. They concluded that the carbonate from the samples in the Archaeological Museum in Arles had been deposited in the water channels over a period of seven to eight years. "The uppermost and thus youngest carbonate layer contains mollusk shells and fragments of wood, showing that the mill must have been abandoned by then and was disintegrating. The water continued to flow for a while so that carbonate deposits also continued to form, but maintenance of the water channels ceased," said Passchier. The researchers were able to answer yet another question. It was not previously known whether the mills had been run in combination by a single operator or whether the 16 water wheels had been used independently of each other. Judging from the layers of three investigated water channels, which are clearly different from each other, the mills were in operation separately -- at least towards the end of their lifetime. Moreover, the western side of the complex was abandoned earlier than the eastern side. Finally, long pieces of carbonate from the water channels were later used as partition screens in a water basin for other industrial purposes after the mills had already been abandoned. * RELATED TOPICS + Earth & Climate o Water o Drought Research o Ecosystems o Pollution + Fossils & Ruins o Ancient Civilizations o Lost Treasures o Fossils o Origin of Life * RELATED TERMS + Water resources + Lake + Water turbine + Water scarcity + Brackish water + Sewer + Fossil fuel + Surface runoff --------------------------------------------------------------------- Story Source: Materials provided by Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Related Multimedia: * Hollow carbonate fragment from Barbegal mills --------------------------------------------------------------------- Journal Reference: 1. Cees W. Passchier, Gul Surmelihindi, Pierre-Louis Viollet, Philippe Leveau, Christoph Spotl. Operation and decline of the Barbegal mill complex, the largest industrial complex of antiquity. Geoarchaeology, 2024; DOI: 10.1002/gea.22016 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Cite This Page: * MLA * APA * Chicago Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz. "Layers of carbonate provide insight into the world of the ancient Romans." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 July 2024. . Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz. (2024, July 1). Layers of carbonate provide insight into the world of the ancient Romans. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 5, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2024/07/240701131824.htm Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz. "Layers of carbonate provide insight into the world of the ancient Romans." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240701131824.htm (accessed July 5, 2024). Explore More from ScienceDaily --------------------------------------------------------------------- RELATED STORIES --------------------------------------------------------------------- Drought, Not Lack of 'Working Rivers', May Have Helped Spur Transition to Steam Power in Britain's Industrial Revolution Oct. 11, 2022 Britain's transition from water power to coal-based steam power set the stage for the 19th century Industrial Revolution, which transformed much of Europe and North America into predominantly urban ... Cooperation Rewards Water Utilities May 19, 2022 Inter-utility water agreements can help mitigate risks, in research that used supercomputer simulations of water supply in the North Carolina Research Triangle. Findings are generalizable to any ... The Unique Hydraulics in the Barbegal Water Mills, the World's First Industrial Plant Nov. 13, 2020 The Barbegal watermills in southern France are a unique complex dating back to the 2nd century AD. The construction with 16 waterwheels is, as far as is known, the first attempt in Europe to build a ... How a Toxic Chromium Species Could Form in Drinking Water Sep. 30, 2020 The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, brought much-needed attention to the problem of potentially toxic metals being released from drinking water distribution pipes when water chemistry changes. Now, ... Print Email Share --------------------------------------------------------------------- Breaking this hour --------------------------------------------------------------------- * Fresh Wind Blows from Historical Supernova * New T Cells, Genes Related to Immune Disorders * The Dawn of the Antarctic Ice Sheets * Extinct Humans On Tibetan Plateau: 160,000 Years * Excellent Memory of Birds * Seams in Clothing Capture Body Movement * Moon 'Swirls' Magnetized by Unseen Magmas? * Inexpensive, Clean, Fast-Charging Batteries * Giant 'Salamander': Top Predator Before Dinos * Humans Caused Extinction of Large Mammals Trending Topics this week --------------------------------------------------------------------- PLANTS & ANIMALS Bird Flu Research Invasive Species Biochemistry Research EARTH & CLIMATE Sustainability Storms Hurricanes and Cyclones FOSSILS & RUINS Early Climate Dinosaurs Early Mammals Strange & Offbeat --------------------------------------------------------------------- PLANTS & ANIMALS Blue and Great Tits Deploy Surprisingly Powerful Memories to Find Food Giant Salamander-Like Creature Was a Top Predator in the Ice Age Before the Dinosaurs A New Breakthrough in Understanding Regeneration in a Marine Worm EARTH & CLIMATE Organic Material from Mars Reveals the Likely Origin of Life's Building Blocks Everybody Needs Good Neighbors: Resident Quolls Help Newcomers Settle in at Mulligans Flat Sixty-Million-Year-Old Grape Seeds Reveal How the Death of the Dinosaurs May Have Paved the Way for Grapes to Spread FOSSILS & RUINS Investigating Newly Discovered Hydrothermal Vents at Depths of 3,000 Meters Off Svalbard Last Surviving Woolly Mammoths Were Inbred but Not Doomed to Extinction Prehistoric 'Pompeii' Discovered: Most Pristine Trilobite Fossils Ever Found Shake Up Scientific Understanding of the Long Extinct Group Toggle navigation Menu SD * SD + Home Page + + Top Science News + + Latest News * Home + Home Page + + Top Science News + + Latest News * Health + View all the latest top news in the health sciences, or browse the topics below: Health & Medicine o Allergy o Cancer o Cold and Flu o Diabetes o Heart Disease o ... more topics Mind & Brain o ADD and ADHD o Alzheimer's o Headaches o Intelligence o Psychology o ... more topics Living Well o Parenting o Child Development o Stress o Nutrition o Fitness o ... more topics * Tech + View all the latest top news in the physical sciences & technology, or browse the topics below: Matter & Energy o Chemistry o Fossil Fuels o Nanotechnology o Physics o Solar Energy o ... more topics Space & Time o Black Holes o Dark Matter o Extrasolar Planets o Solar System o Space Telescopes o ... more topics Computers & Math o Artificial Intelligence o Mathematics o Quantum Computers o Robotics o Virtual Reality o ... more topics * Enviro + View all the latest top news in the environmental sciences, or browse the topics below: Plants & Animals o Agriculture and Food o Biology o Biotechnology o Extinction o Microbes and More o ... more topics Earth & Climate o Climate o Earthquakes o Geology o Global Warming o Pollution o ... more topics Fossils & Ruins o Anthropology o Archaeology o Dinosaurs o Evolution o Paleontology o ... more topics * Society + View all the latest top news in the social sciences & education, or browse the topics below: Science & Society o Arts & Culture o Economics o Privacy Issues o Public Health o Sports o ... more topics Business & Industry o Computers & Internet o Energy & Resources o Engineering o Medical Technology o Transportation o ... more topics Education & Learning o Creativity o Educational Psychology o Infant & Preschool o Learning Disorders o STEM Education o ... more topics * Quirky + Top News + + Human Quirks + Odd Creatures + Bizarre Things + Weird World Keyword:[ ]Search Free Subscriptions --------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay informed with ScienceDaily's free email newsletter, updated daily and weekly. Or view our many newsfeeds in your RSS reader: * Email Newsletter * RSS Feeds Follow Us --------------------------------------------------------------------- Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks: * Facebook * X / Twitter Have Feedback? --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions? * Leave Feedback * Contact Us About This Site | Staff | Contribute | Advertise | Privacy Policy | Editorial Policy | Terms of Use Copyright 1995-2024 ScienceDaily or by other parties, where indicated. All rights controlled by their respective owners. Content on this website is for information only. It is not intended to provide medical or other professional advice. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily, contributors or partners. Financial support for ScienceDaily comes from advertisements and referral programs.