How Did the Romans Install Revetment?
Larry F. Ball
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| Esquiline Wing of Nero's Domus Aurea, room 125, showing several different patterns of revetment bedding from one decoration project (64-68 C.E.).
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Remnants of the materials the Romans used for attaching stone revetment are commonplace. Although these remains are familiar, they also represent procedures and intentions different from modern masonry techniques. How the Roman masons applied revetment, and why they used the equipment and materials they did, remain moot. Especially mysterious are the shims pressed deeply into the bedding mortar, usually around the edge of each revetment panel. Not only do these interrupt the smooth surface of the setting mortar, but also they reduce the amount of adhesion available to hold the revetment panel in place. Using observations in Rome, Ostia, Tivoli, and Pompeii, a complete reappraisal of the process of installing revetment has been conducted. Results indicate that the shims helped the masons overcome the high viscosity of the mortar as they adjusted a revetment panel into its final position, reducing the amount of mortar that needed to be shifted and making it easier to displace. The metal clamps served to lock the panel precisely into position, not to support its weight. This thesis has been tested with a detailed dynamic model, systematically recreating each step in the installation of Roman revetment, carefully studying the behavior of the materials as they interacted with each other. The model clearly (and irritatingly) illustrated the challenges faced by the Roman masons, especially the way viscous mortar resists displacement, making fine adjustment of the revetment panel difficult. It also became clear, however, that the actual devices used by the Roman masons, specifically the shims and clamps, do indeed solve the problems posed by the mortar. It is, then, a very short leap of faith to conclude that solving those problems is, in fact, why the Roman masons used their distinctive techniques.
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