ABSTRACT

The 15th century cross-vaults of the medieval Modena Cathedral (UNESCO site) consist of intricate patches of different masonry portions bound by three types of lime mortars and at least two types of gypsum mortars. Such anomalous structure suggests multiple repair works over time after damaging earthquakes.

The absolute dating of lime mortars (¹⁴C) and bricks (TL) integrated with the pollen record of mortars allowed to clarify the construction and restoration history of the vaults and to link the repairs to the earthquake chronology for the area. The results reveal that the original construction of the vaults (1404–1454) was carried out using lime mortar binding reused Roman and medieval older bricks. Lime mortar was used also for later repairs caused by earthquakes in the 16th and 17th centuries. Gypsum mortars were then used to entirely rebuild some vaults and to repair others in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The study indicates that unexpected damage could be revealed by the detailed chronology of masonry binders. These data represent fundamental steps to implement earthquake risk assessments and strengthening projects of ancient buildings.

摘要

中世纪摩德纳大教堂（联合国教科文组织遗址）的 15 世纪交叉拱顶由不同砖石部分的复杂补丁组成，由三种类型的石灰砂浆和至少两种类型的石膏砂浆粘合。这种异常的结构表明在破坏性地震后随着时间的推移进行了多次修复工作。

^{石灰砂浆 ( 14} C) 和砖块 (TL)的绝对年代与砂浆的花粉记录相结合，可以阐明拱顶的建造和修复历史，并将修复与该地区的地震年代学联系起来。结果表明，拱顶的原始建造（1404-1454 年）是使用石灰砂浆结合再利用的罗马和中世纪旧砖进行的。石灰砂浆也用于后来在 16 和 17 世纪因地震造成的修复。在 18 世纪和 19 世纪，石膏砂浆被用来完全重建一些拱顶并修复其他拱顶。

该研究表明，砌体粘合剂的详细年表可以揭示意想不到的损坏。这些数据代表了实施地震风险评估和古建筑加固工程的基本步骤。