Ancient construction (Archaeology)

L'insula Orientalis IIa d'Herculanum entre construction publique et transformations privées

by Nicolas Monteix

in S. Camporeale, H. Dessales, A. Pizzo (eds.), Arqueología de la construcción II. Los procesos constructivos en el mundo romano: Italia y provincias orientales, Madrid-Mérida, CSIC, 2010 («Anejos de Archivo Español de Arqueología», 57), p. 213-232.

Insula Orientalis IIa traditionally and erroneously called « palestra », constitutes the most important public... more Insula Orientalis IIa traditionally and erroneously called « palestra », constitutes the most important public monument known at Herculaneum. The study of the building techniques used allows an outline of its construction history. It was begun during the Augustan period and completed during the last decade of the reign of Tiberius. During this long period of construction, minor changes were made to the unified plan, which eventually resulted in the definition of a building with a double function, not only public and religious, but also private, both residential and commercial. During the forty or fifty years that it was used, this building underwent important changes. With the growth of private space at the expense of the public, many parts are rearranged, sometimes employing techniques that basically come down to « do it yourself » and improvisation. The two restoration campaigns (carried out after various seismic events), the second of which was financed by Vespasian, permitted the reestablishment of a more rational use of space, but the previous practices resumed again quickly afterwards.
Through the example of Insula Orientalis IIa it is therefore possible to perceive the tension that forms between public and private uses within a publically owned architectural structure which is strongly modified, in both its partial function as well as its spatial configuration, by private usage.

G. CIFANI, I grandi cantieri della Roma arcaica: aspetti tecnici e organizzativi”, in Anejos de archivio espanol de arqueologìa LVII, 2010, 35-50.

by Gabriele Cifani

Excavacións no patio do claustro da catedral de Santiago (1991-1992).

by José Suárez Otero

Brigantium 12 (2000), pp. 261-270.

‘Divine or human? Some remarks on the design and layout of late antique basilicas’, in The material and the ideal. Essays in medieval art and archaeology in honour of Jean-Michel Spieser, ed. Anthony Cutler and Arietta Papaconstantinou, The Medieval Mediterranean 70 (Leiden 2007) 31-46

by Arietta Papaconstantinou

‘La reconstruction de Saint-Philoxène à Oxyrhynchos: l’inventaire dressé par Philéas le tailleur de pierres’, in Mélanges Jean-Pierre Sodini, Travaux et Mémoires 15 (Paris 2005) 183-92

by Arietta Papaconstantinou

"Paisaje urbano en los siglos I a.C.- I d.C. y la emisión de la moneda local: el caso de Gades", Actas del Simposio Internacional de Epigrafía (A.I.E.G.L.), "Ciudades privilegiadas en el Occidente Romano: naturaleza y evolución, organización jurídica y modelos urbanos", Sevilla, 1996, Sevilla, 1999, pp. 87-99.

by Enrique Melchor Gil

Co-authored with F. Chaves; M. Oria and R. Gil

“Sobre Digesto L, 10, 3 pr. y la necesidad de solicitar permiso al emperador para financiar la construcción de edificios de espectáculos”, MEFRA, 122-1, 2010, pp. 37-42.

by Enrique Melchor Gil

“Digesto L, 10, 3 pr. and the requirement to obtain permission from the emperor for financing the construction of... more “Digesto L, 10, 3 pr. and the requirement to obtain permission from the emperor for financing the construction of public entertainment buildings”

In principal any individual could construct a new building without the permission of the ruler, unless it emulatet another city, which could provoke sedition, or when the work was a circus, theatre or amphitheatre (Dig., L, 10, 3, pr.). The reasons for the restriction imposed on the patrons of such constructions varied, and are analysed here, including: the popularity which these constructions brought to those who financed them; the link between these buildings and imperial cult ceremonies; issues of security in the field of construction; and the problems for the state over regulating local finances that had to bear the cost of such constructions.

Auguste Choisy and the Economics of Roman Construction

by Lynne Lancaster

In Javier Girón, Santiago Huerta (eds), August Choisy (1841-1909) l'architecture et l'art de bâtir : (actas del Simposio Internacional celebrado en Madrid, November 19-20, 2009): 307-328

Early Examples of So-Called Pitched Brick Barrel Vaulting in Roman Greece and Asia Minor: A Question of Origin and Intention

by Lynne Lancaster

In M. Bachmann (ed.), Bautechnik im antiken und vorantiken Kleinasien (Proceedings of an International Conference June 13-16, 2007) Byzas 9 (2009): 371-391

I examine the early examples of the so–called pitched brick vaulting technique in barrel vaults in Greece and Asia... more I examine the early examples of the so–called pitched brick vaulting technique in barrel vaults in Greece and Asia Minor. I make the distinction between bricks set vertically and those that are truly pitched because the distinction can shed light on both the use and origin of the technique in the Roman world. Particular attention is given to the earliest and largest example known, Bath A at Argos, Greece, and then examples from 2nd – 3rd-century Asia Minor are presented. I argue that the large spanned examples were intended not to reduce the amount of wood used for centering as commonly assumed but rather as a means of reinforcing the crown of the vaults by making them less susceptible to cracking. I suggest that the inspiration for the Roman use of the technique comes directly from Mesopotamia, as opposed to Egypt, through contact via military interventions against the Parthians and Sassanids in the 1st – 3rd centuries AD.

Parthian Influence on Vaulting In Roman Greece? An Inquiry Into Technological Exchange Under Hadrian

by Lynne Lancaster

American Journal of Archaeology 114 (2010): 447-472 (can't post this due to AJA copyright agreement)

The earliest known Roman examples of pitched-brick vaulting appear in hydraulic systems in the first half of the... more The earliest known Roman examples of pitched-brick vaulting appear in hydraulic systems in the first half of the second century C.E. at Athens, Eleusis, and Argos, while others at Dion and Gortyn may also date from the same period. I argue, based on an analysis of the constructional details, that the technique was introduced from Parthia by military construction experts specializing in hydraulics, who had been involved in Trajan’s Parthian War and, upon returning to home bases in the West, brought new construction techniques. The examples from Athens occur in the Hadrianic aqueduct and thus can be securely dated to the period just after the war. Those from Eleusis, which also relate to an aqueduct project, can likewise be dated to the reign of Hadrian or Antoninus Pius. The most impressive example occurs at the so-called Serapeum (Bath A) at Argos, which is among the largest known barrel vaults using this technique. It has been dated by the excavators to ca. 100 C.E.; however, I argue that this structure was originally built somewhat later, under Hadrian, and that it was part of a larger project at Argos.

Provenancing of Lightweight Volcanic Stones Used in Ancient Roman Concrete Vaulting: Evidence from Turkey and Tunisia

by Lynne Lancaster

Co-authors: G. Sottili, F. Marra, and G. Ventura. Published in Archaeometry 52.6 (2010) 949-961; doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2009.00509.x

Samples of four lightweight volcanic rocks from the vaults of Roman bath buildings in modern Tunisia (Carthage,... more Samples of four lightweight volcanic rocks from the vaults of Roman bath buildings in modern Tunisia (Carthage, Leptiminus) and Turkey (Anazarbos, Elaeussa Sebaste) were analyzed by means of thin section, XRF, and LA-ICP-MS to determine their provenances. Both samples from Turkey came from the Ceyhan-Osmaniye volcanic district in Smooth Cilicia. The use of the scoria at Elaeussa Sebaste, which is outside this volcanic district, was likely the result of cabotage along the southern coast of Asia Minor. Of the Tunisian samples, the one from Carthage is a product of Sardinia whereas the one from Leptiminus is a product of Pantelleria. Both samples from Tunisia came from nearby volcanic islands that also produced lava grain mills, many of which were destined for North Africa; therefore the lightweight scoria and pumice in Tunisia likely arrived at the building sites as secondary cargos on established regional trade routes.

Provenancing of Lightweight Volcanic Stones Used in Ancient Roman Concrete Vaulting: Evidence from Rome

by Lynne Lancaster

Co-authors: G. Sottili, F. Marra and G. Ventura. "Provenancing of lightweight volcanic stones used in ancient Roman concrete vaulting: evidence from Rome" Archaeometry (2011); doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2010.00565.x

This paper presents the geochemical analysis of lightweight scoria and pumice used in concrete vaults from ancient... more This paper presents the geochemical analysis of lightweight scoria and pumice used in concrete vaults from ancient Rome. The geochemical signatures of dark scoria indicates a provenance of the 36–18 ka lavas of Vesuvius, as opposed to the more recent events on which Pompeii was built, as previously thought. The light-coloured pumices analysed, which were originally thought to belong to the Sabatini volcanic system (north of Rome), corresponded instead to products from Campi Flegrei. These results provoke re-evaluation of the trade and acquisition of these specialized materials destined for imperial projects in the capital city.

Ash Mortar and Vaulting Tubes: Agricultural Production and the Building Industry in North Africa

by Lynne Lancaster

"Ash Mortar and Vaulting Tubes: Agricultural Production and the Building Industry in North Africa" In : S. Camporeale, H. Dessales, and A. Pizzo (eds.), Les chantiers de construction de l’Italie et des provinces romaines: 3e rencontre. L’économie des chantiers (Paris, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 10-11 décembre 2009) (FORTHCOMING).

In this paper I examine two building materials that illustrate the way in which agricultural practices affected... more In this paper I examine two building materials that illustrate the way in which agricultural practices affected choices in the building industry in North Africa. The first is the use of ash from cereals and herbivore manure as a pozzolanic additive for creating a hydraulic mortar. Recent experimental studies have shown that ash from wheat straw and herbivore manure, which are high in silica, produce a pozzolanic reaction when mixed with lime mortar. The mortar of linings in cisterns in North Africa often contain ash, and I suggest that wheat and manure are the likely sources of this ash. The second technique is the use of terracotta vaulting tubes, the proliferation of which began in the area of modern Tunisia during the 3rd century A.D. I suggest that this phenomenon can be related to imperial agricultural policy during the 2nd century A.D., which promoted more intensive and widespread cultivation in Africa Proconsularis and with it a certain amount of deforestation. Increased exportation of agricultural products led to improved land transport networks in the interior and to the necessity for production of large numbers of terracotta amphoras for shipping liquid foodstuffs. With the concomitant growth of the ceramics industry, the vaulting tubes became an economically viable alternative to the more traditional wooden centering, which the tubes replaced. Thus the proliferation of the vaulting tubes is simply one of the many phenomena resulting from North Africa's rise as one of the major agricultural producers during the 2nd century.

LA CONSTRUCCIÓN CON TIERRA EN LA PROTOHISTORIA DEL BAJO ARAGÓN: EL CASO DE SAN CRISTÓBAL DE MAZALEÓN

by Luis Fatás

L. Fatás y S. Catalán (2005). Salduie: Estudios de prehistoria y arqueología, Nº 5, pags. 131-141