Römische Bleigewinnung in der Sierra de la Muela? Bemerkungen zum Pica-Bleibarren aus Puerto de Mazarrón (Prov. Murcia)

Abstract

A Roman lead ingot fragment found east of Mazarrón, on which only the cognomen Pica can be read, was formerly assigned to a Minucius Pica, a person mentioned in Varro’s res rustica (3, 2, 2). However, since the person named by Varro is a literarily invented figure, both this equation and the reconstruction of the name are invalid.
Provenance studies also led to the surprising result that this ingot does not originate from the well-known Mazarrón mines, but maybe from neighbouring local deposits in the Sierra de la Muela.