Ancient mortars

Jedrzejewska, H. (1990), Ancient mortars as criterion in analysis of old architecture, in Mortars, Cements and Grouts Used in the Conservation of Historical Buildings Symp., Rome, pp. 311-329. 

Experiment The synthesis of ancient mortar mentioned above as well as checking its working are quite simple experiments and consequently excellently suited for educational purposes. 

Crisci, G.M., M. Franzini Lezzerini, T. Mannoni. and M.P. Riccardi. 2004. Ancient mortars and their binder. Periodica di Mineralogia 73 259-268. 

Bom bard. (Ordnance.) An ancient mortar of large bore, UHed to throw stone shot. 

Jull Lees (1990). The only exception to this is the work of Mchedlov-Petrosyan et al. (1968), who identified a number of crystalline C-S-H phases by XRD including hillebrandite, gyrolite, afwillite and tobermorite in an ancient mortar. The authors suggested that initially amorphous CSH gels may have altered to more crystalline phases with time. This process has been observed to occur within laboratory timescales at 90°C or more (e.g. Atkinson et al. 1995) but has not been documented at low temperatures, even over long times. 

Jedrzejewska, H. 1967. New methods of investigation of ancient mortars. In Level, M. (ed.) A Symposium on Archaeological Chemistry, University of Philadelphia Press, Philadelphia, PA, 147-165. 

Perander, T. Raman, T. 1984. Durability of ancient mortars as a basis for development of new repair mortars. Proceeding of the 3rd International Conference on the Durability of Building Materials and Components, Espoo, Finland, 1, 280. 

Znaczko-Janworski, I. L. 1958. Experimental research on ancient mortars and binding materials. The Quarterly of History of Science and Technology, Warsaw, Poland, no. 3, 377-407. 

In Table 1 some characteristics of often found cranponents in ancient masonry are given for comparison with the modem materials used in construc-ti(Mi (Papayianni and Tsolaki 1995). The structure of an ancient mortar and brick is shown in Fig. 1. 

Fig.1 Ancient mortar core and brick taken from Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki (seventh century AD)...

Papayianni I, Tsolaki A (1995) Microstructural and mechanical strength of ancient mortars. In Papayianni I, Astrinidou P (eds) Proceedings of the... 

Stuiver, M. Smith, C. S., (1965). Radiocarbon dating of ancient mortar and plaster Proceedings of the 6th International 14C Conference, pp. 338-343. 

Elsen, J., Brutsaert, A., Deckers, M Brulet, R. (2004). Microscopical study of ancient mortars from Turnay (Belgium), Materials Characterization, 53, pp. 289-294... 

Franzini, M., Leoni, L., Lezzerini, M Sartori, F. (1990). On the binder of some ancient mortars. Mineralogy and Petrology, 67, pp. 59-69... 

Hale, J., Heinemeier, J., Lancaster, L., Lindroos, A., Ringbom, A. (2003). Dating ancient mortar. American Scientist, 91, pp. 130-137... 

Hydrocarbons were first used in the field of medicine by the Romans. Bitumen was used in ancient Mesopotamia as mortar for bricks, as a road constmction material, and to waterproof boats. Arabia and Persia have a long history of producing oil. 

Roofs are a basic element of shelter from inclement weather. Natural or hewn caves, including those of snow or ice, ate early evidence of human endeavors for protection from the cold, wind, rain, and sun. Nomadic people, before the benefits of agriculture had been discovered and housing schemes developed, depended on the availabiUty of natural materials to constmct shelters. Portable shelters, eg, tents, probably appeared early in history. Later, more permanent stmctures were developed from stone and brick. SaUent features depended strongly on the avadabihty of natural materials. The Babylonians used mud to form bricks and tiles that could be bonded with mortars or natural bitumen. Ancient buildings in Egypt were characterized by massive walls of stone and closely spaced columns that carried stone lintels to support a flat roof, often made of stone slabs. 

Bitumen was used in ancient times as an adhesive for sealing hydraulic structures and as mortar for masonry (5]. The Bible mentions that Noah used pitch for caulking the Ark. Not unlike the Tower of Babylon, the houses of one of the most ancient cities in the world, Mohenjo-Daro in the upper Indus valley, were constructed with bricks of clay and bitumen monar [61. 

The term petard was formerly used to designate an ancient device for bursting open gates, barricades, or doors to which it was attached. Basically a case filled with expls, the petard somewhat resembled a short mortar. 

Building mud, a composite material, is easily prepared by mixing clay or clayey soil with fibrous matter, such as straw or dung of herbivorous animals, and sufficient water to obtain a plastic, pliable mass. In ancient Egypt, for example, mud was made by mixing clayey soil with sand, chopped straw, and sufficient water so as to make the mixture pliable and suitable either for use as mortar or stucco or for making bricks. 

Zouridakis, N., J. F. Saliege, A. Pearson, and S. E. Philipakis (1987), Radiocarbon dating of mortars from ancient Greek palaces, Archaeometry 29, 60-68. 

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to test portable infrared spectroscopy for non-destructive analysis of ancient construction mortar. Mortar samples from the House of the Vestals, in Pompeii, Italy, were initially examined with traditional analytical techniques, including X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction and thin section analysis. These techniques were used to establish mineralogical and chemical profiles of the samples and to verify the results of experimental field methods. Results showed the lime-based binder was composed of calcite, and the volcanic sand aggregate contained clinopyroxene, plagioclase, sanidine and olivine crystals. 

Calcium oxide was used in ancient times to make mortar for building with stone. Both the metal and calcium compounds have many industrial as well as biological uses. Metallic calcium is used as an alloy agent for copper and aluminum. It is also used to purify lead and is a reducing agent for beryllium. 

Nonhydraulic cements were among the most common of the ancient cements. The relatively high solubilities of portlandite (Ca[OH]2) and gypsum means that they deteriorate rapidly in moist or wet environments. Many decades ago, the Romans used lime-based cements and mortars (cement plus sand) by ramming the wet pastes... 

The inhabitants of ancient Nineveh used an asphaltic mortar prepared from partially evaporated petroleum (8). In some translations of the Old Testament, this substance is called pitch or slime. When Noah built the ark, he was told to pitch it within and without with pitch. For building the Tower of Babel, Noah s descendants had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar (9). 

Herodotus (484-425 B.C.) mentioned the occurrence of many lumps of bitumen in the River Is, a small tributary of the Euphrates (10). The Babylonians heated this bitumen and used it instead of mortar for cementing together the bricks of their walls and buildings (11). Herodotus also spoke of a well near Susa (the Shushan of the Bible) which yielded bitumen, salt, and oil (11). Cornelius Tacitus, a friend of Pliny the Younger, described the bitumen of the Dead Sea (12). R. J. Forbes states in his book Bitumen and Petroleum in Antiquity that the ancients used tar and pitch for waterproofing pottery, for caulking ships, and for making torches, paint for roofs and walls, and lampblack for paints and ink (13). 

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