Roman Building


Roman Building: Materials and Techniques is a treatise on Roman construction by French architect and archaeologist Jean-Pierre Adam, first published in 1984. A second edition was published in 1989, and an English translation by Anthony Mathews was published in 1994. The book comprehensively studies architecture across the Roman empire throughout its history, focusing on technique rather than design.
DOI 10.2307/530199

Contents

The book has 11 chapters:
  • Surveying
  • Materials
  • Construction using Large Stone Blocks
  • Structures of Mixed Construction
  • Masonry Construction
  • Arches and Vaults
  • Carpentry
  • Wall Covering
  • Floors
  • Civil Engineering
  • Domestic and Commercial Architecture

Reception

When the translation was released, several reviewers of Roman Building such as classicist Nigel Spivey commended it for its thorough, accurate coverage. These English-speaking academics noted its ambitious scope beyond almost all previous scholarly works: it treated all areas of construction technique throughout ancient Rome's history across all of Roman territory. While classicist Roger Ulrich was among them, he noticed that the French author emphasized Italy, Gaul and North Africa in his choice of examples, and within Italy the well-preserved cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. He also faulted the treatise's sometimes inaccurate handling of Latin technical terminology.