Bricks have been around for about 10,000 years…they’re even mentioned in the Bible. The Romans used fired clay brick to build most of Rome and the rest of the Empire. Roman bricks varied in size and were often stamped with the mark of the legion that supervised their production. We recently visited Ostia Antica (Ancient Rome’s original port city) which was almost entirely constructed of brick.
Apparently the Romans used fired clay bricks to construct walls, columns, arches and vaults to create enclosed buildings. The buildings were then covered with wood framed roofs. Only the major temples and government buildings received the expensive marble veneers. Over the centuries, much of the outer marble and many of the old bricks were removed and recycled for other projects.
Romans also developed concrete (opus caementicium) that was used to construct the incredible dome of the Pantheon (my favorite building in Rome). Around 25 B.C. the architect, Vitruvius wrote “The Ten Books on Architecture”, containing descriptions of different concrete aggregates and lime mortars…sorry, too much detail.
In my humble opinion, the most interesting Roman building material was the tapered, curved clay roof tiles (often called Mediterranean Roof Tiles). By alternating the fired curved tiles on a sloped roof and holding them in place with mortar, gravity directs rain water down and prevents roof leaks…pure genius. Somewhere I read or heard the legend (entirely lacking historical facts) of how those roof tiles came into existence.
For centuries Roman brick makers also made flat rectangular tiles for the floors of buildings. As the story goes, the youngest son of a successful Roman brick maker fell in love with one of his father’s beautiful young slave girls. In the heat of passion, the young man caressed the young girl’s shapely thigh with his clay stained hand which gave him an idea. He took a few of flat soft floor tiles and shaped them over her thigh forming the perfect roof tiles. The next day he demonstrated to his father how the tiles could be arranged making a leak-proof roof. As a reward, the son was allowed to marry the slave girl and they lived happily, ever after. To this day these curved roof tiles are sometimes called “maidens’ thighs” or “coscia da ragazza”…a total fabrication but a cute story.
Bill...I've been reading some books about the Romans and their use of concrete which truly advanced Architecture and Engineering tremendously. One amazing feature was that it would set 'under water' allowing for the expansion of Bridge and harbor design. As you mentioned, the Romans were able to build the Pantheon because of Different aggregates(fillers of brick,stone,pebbles,etc.) When they used the Volanic Ash called 'Pozzolana' , as the binding agent the concrete formed a much stronger bond with the aggregates, therefore making a stronger mortar. In order to support the massive weight of the dome of the Pantheon, Roman Engineers had to decrease the thickness of the walls gradually as the height increased. The Romans also used a different type of concrete for the dome as for the walls. At the top of the dome, a lighter type of concrete was used. Don't worry about "too much detail", I think it's great.
ReplyDeleteIf you enjoy reading about the Romans' work with concrete, pick up a copy of "Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture" by Ross King.
ReplyDeleteRoss King also wrote "Brunelleschi's Dome, The Story of the great Cathedral of Florence"..more great reading!
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