Abstract
Focus on cultural heritage materials, this presentation will show that the sourcing of raw materials for the construction of monuments, as well as for the manufacture of works of art, has not always followed a strictly economic logic, favoring local supplies, and has often been based on the quality of materials, adapted to a particular use. Thanks to archaeometric studies carried out in recent years by a number of research teams, we'll see that, since the Neolithic period, raw materials could be sourced from great distances, despite the high cost of transport by sea, river or land. But we'll also show that the availability of materials, depending on local economic conditions and technical constraints, can have a direct impact on the technical choices made over time, as reflected in monuments and works of art.
Four examples illustrating this duality will be presented: the provenance of Neolithic ornaments from western France made from variscite, the supply of stone for the construction of cathedrals, the raw materials used to manufacture stained glass in the Middle Ages, and the exploitation of clay limestone deposits to manufacture the first natural cements in the 19th century.
