The record of human impact in the sedimentary record at Portus, the harbor of ancient Rome

International audienceThe present study focuses on the analysis of palaeo-pollutions and the sedimentary environments in which they were trapped in the Roman Portus harbor. Portus received heavy-metals pollution both from local foundries, fulling, and tanning and from distal upstream development in Rome. Rome wastewaters, which accounted for up to 3 percent of the total Tiber discharge, were forwarded to Portus through a network of canals (Canale Romano and Canale Trasverso) connecting the river to the sea. In this manner, harbor basins accumulated both allochthonous and autochthonous heavy metals. We determined major and trace element concentrations as well as Pb isotope compositions in a high-resolution set of samples from sediment cores recovered in the Portus area. Principal component analysis of elements that are less prone to the influence of human activities, such as Ca, Mg, Mn, Zr, K, Al, Ti, Na, Sr, and Mn, was used in conjunction with metallic elements to break down the sedimentary load into local and regional components. The record of Pb concentrations and isotopic compositions reveals an overall general trend on which other signatures are superimposed. The geochemical background of the Tiber catchment (24.7-26.2 ppm Pb and 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ~ 1.198) represents geologically young (model age Tm