| Abstract: |
Comprises a scientific analysis of some aspects of Roman building materials and methods in Britain, commencing with a brief resume of the classical sources (Vitruvius, Pliny the Elder, and others). Relevant topics relating to building practice in Rome are detailed, from the preparation of lime and the extraction of aggregates, to plastering and the painting of walls. The study methods (geological identification, physical and chemical analysis) are detailed and full results (of the mortar and plaster compositions and numbers and thicknesses of plaster layers) are presented. The results are interpreted and compared with the recommendations of ancient writers, with the conclusion that, whilst these recommendations are generally borne out with respect to the compositions of the mortar and plaster, generally lower-standards of work are found in Britain than in the Mediterranean region of the Roman Empire. First and second century material was often of better quality in structure and in the materials used than that from the later centuries of the Roman occupation. The occurrence of the imported red pigment cinnabar was shown to be far more widespread than the one sample known at the start of the research. The recommendations point out that existing museum collections are limited in their usefulness, because of the small samples retained, when decorative schemes can only be safely interpreted by the large scale recovery of painted plaster. |
