Author Description

Alongside the naturally occurring materials of stone and timber, Roman builders used a wide variety of materials that had to go through one or more sequences of processing, usually at a separate production site or more rarely, for example in the case of mortar, on site. The supply of bulk materials such as brick and mortar are key in the logistics of site construction, while speciality products such as metal elements usually represent special and sometimes unique solutions to specific structural and constructional problems. Man-made materials also often required high levels of skilled manpower and specialised equipment or plant in their processing, thus contributing substantially to the cost of construction.