Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
this matter is not a simple dichotomy between Roman Concrete and solid brick
masonry. Whether or not the core of walls is concrete or brick, some of the brick
facing commonly illustrated—e.g. the façades of some buildings at Ostia, cannot
be formed out of triangular segments although reference is not made to this ques-
tion (cf Ward Perkins, pl 152).
h e other moiety of the transformation ef ected in ancient building by Roman
brickwork is Imperial brick building outside Italy. Bricks made in Roman brick-
yards, as evidenced by the stamps they bear, have been found in many provinces of
the Empire (cf Vol. 2, pp. 138-39; J.C. Anderson, “Roman Architecture and Society,”
p. 163). For the most part these are provinces where Roman Concrete construc-
tion was little developed or absent. h us such stamped bricks bespeak solid brick
construction in these regions. Special consideration has been accorded solid Roman
burnt brick construction in the East—e.g. in Greece and, notably, Asia Minor
(v Ward Perkins, pp. 388-89; H. Dodge, “Brick Construction in Roman Greece
and Asia Minor,” pp. 106-10; “h e Architectural Impact of Rome in the East,”
pp. 115-18; M. Waelkens, “h e Adoption of Roman Building Techniques in the
Architecture of Asia Minor,” pp. 101-02).
It is of interest to note the same development of solid brick masonry in both
Greece and Asia Minor—since, on the one hand, burnt brick construction had
never formed part of Classical Greek Building (Martin, pp. 63-64; Orlandos I,
pp. 67-68), whereas, on the other hand, in Anatolia burnt brick construction
occurred under Babylonian inl uence and it is reckoned that this tradition continued
through Persian and Hellenistic times. h e possible interplay of the two traditions
has been discussed (cf Vol. 2, p. 117; H. Dodge, “h e Architectural Impact of
Rome in the East,” pp. 116-18). h e one circumstance in common between Greece
and Asia Minor is that in neither region was construction in Roman Concrete
developed to any degree. h us the occurrence of solid burnt brick construction
in Greece and (particularly) Asia Minor is of great signii cance in explaining the
development of Early Byzantine building construction, which entirely ousted and
superseded brick faced Roman Concrete (cf Ward Perkins, “Building Methods of
Early Byzantine Architecture,” pp. 52-104; M. Waelkens, p. 102).
Burnt
brick
building
in the
Roman
provinces
375
5.
Byzantine Development
Burnt brick construction enjoyed a notable development during a millennium
of Byzantine history, with many rei nements particularly of ornament. However
during Early Byzantine times to the end of the Ancient World the establishment
of the tradition appears to reveal the negative impression of Roman Concrete.
For socio-economic reasons Roman Concrete construction was not appropriate
or practical in Constantinople, the newly established capital city of the early 4th
Relation
to Roman
Concrete
