Pozzolans in Mortar in the Roman Empire: An Overview and Thoughts on Future Work

Abstract

This paper focuses on three different ingredients used to create hydraulic mortar: volcanic ash, crushed terracotta, and plant ash. Each one imparts somewhat different characteristics to the mortar and has a different processing method, which would have affected the chaîne opératoire of the building site. One goal is to examine these characteristics and processes. A second goal is to examine some problems in the terminology used to identify the ingredients. How can choices in terminology, such as “crushed tile mortar” vs. “crushed terracotta mortar” or “mortar with charcoal” vs. “mortar with ash”, affect our understanding of the significance of choices made by ancient builder? I argue that using precise and objective terms to describe the ingredients in the mortar is an important step in being able to determine source materials, which in turn can provide insight into organizational practices on the worksite.

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