As sustainable construction practices become increasingly important, the use of waste materials in construction has gained attention as a viable solution to reduce environmental impact. Among these waste materials, various sustainable alternatives have been tested for use in mortars, including cutting limestone waste. The incorporation of such waste materials in mortars can improve its properties and durability, reduce environmental impact, and provide a cost-effective solution. The present work studies the effect of adding cutting limestone waste in mortars by quantifying their mechanical performance at two different curing ages: 7 and 28 days. The results show that both the incorporation of cutting limestone waste and the incorporation of sand produced from stone waste blocks are viable alternatives for the production of cementitious mortars. It was observed that the mechanical performance of mortars containing cutting limestone waste at 28 days is equal to or greater than that obtained for the reference mortar.

The Roman cryptoporticus of Lisbon, discovered in 1773, is located in the heart of the historical centre of Lisbon. The monument was constructed in the middle of the 1st century AD and was probably used as an artificial platform or foundation for other constructions, in the old port front of the Roman city of Felicitas Iulia Olisipo. The wood materials, subject of this study, were recovered during the archaeological excavations and include structural elements (i.e., parts of window frames), utilitarian items (i.e., spoon) and several unidentified fragments. The identification of archaeological woods was done, along with pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. Preliminary results stress the use of pine wood and underline how the degradation of the samples is evident, by the detection of a large amount of oxidized lignin compounds, and by the lower amounts of cellulose and hemicellulose compounds.

In the present study a set of common, painted and glazed ceramic were analysed using a pXRF spectrometer. Ceramic paste characteristics were utilised to identify possible trade between the cities of Evora and Mertola during the Muslim domination. Ceramic paste analysis revealed that unpainted and painted ceramic were enriched in Fe while glazed ceramics were enriched in Ca. Moreover, comparative analysis of the whole assemblage suggests that ceramics from Evora and Mertola have different Ti/Fe ratio indicating different origins and consequently different productive centres. For what concerns the decorative layers, results showed that white and red painted decorations were obtained using Ca and Fe oxides respectively. Glaze decorations were obtained with a silicon lead mixture. Oxide of tin was utilised as opacify agent. Green, light blue, black and yellow glazes were obtained using Cu, Mn+Fe and Fe oxides respectively.