Novel algorithm recently created by a multidisciplinary team and in which Dr. David Martínez Chico has participated.

The creation of AMALIA (A Matching Algorithm for Lead Isotope Analyses) represents an important methodological contribution in the field of archaeometry. The new algorithm, now devoted to the study of lead isotope analyses, pinpoints with greater precision the potential provenances of numerous archaeological samples. AMALIA has been reported in an article published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. This study has carried out a re-evaluation of lead isotope analyses performed with TIMS. The most important conclusions are the accuracy and reliability of AMALIA, underlining the need to re-evaluate the isotopic data obtained so far. The article also contributes to the field of Roman archaeology by better explaining how Roman galena foundries work, providing tangible evidence of a complex organization as well as the regional and long-distance trade circuits these foundries supplied. To fine-tune AMALIA, a large number of objects (such as seals of various mining societies) and lead manufactures from the mining-metallurgical deposit of Fuente Spitz (La Carolina, Jaén) have been analyzed. Probably the most prominent object is a laminar epigraphic lead, thanks to which the plumber's trade has been documented ([- - -]usculi plumbari • ex o[ff(icina?) - - -]). Most likely, it is a private workshop since the officinae publicae are identified by the name of the city. The objective has not been to isotopically characterize and accurately trace the origin of the metal in these objects, but also to interpret what functions these metallurgical deposits had in Roman Hispania. Special attention is paid to how these workshops were supplied, who could be their owner, what they manufactured and where their products were distributed throughout the Roman world.Special thanks to the Museum of La Carolina and its director, Pedro Ramos Miguel, for having allowed to analyze the objects of Fuente Spitz.

Reference (in open access):

J. Rodríguez, A. G. Sinner, D. Martínez-Chico y J. F. Santos Zalduegui (2023): “AMALIA, A Matching Algorithm for Lead Isotope Analyses: Formulation and proof of concept at the Roman foundry of Fuente Spitz (Jaén, Spain)”, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 51, 104192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104192