impressions and fingerprints may 'signature' marks, usually impressed kilns, or from house fires or the wider GraffitiRetention and also be seen on tiles from handling using fingertips or a stick and Boudiccan and Hadrianic fires. Several tiles and bricks have been sampling:after moulding. Tiles were often possibly denoting a maker or yard. found with scratched graffiti, often On excavations all CBM should

CBM may have been mortared in place wiped after production, possibly to Tally marks interpreted as Roman inscribed prior to firing.be retained unless there is a or have opus signinum adhering, and remove excess moulding sand, and numerals were usually cut with a specific sampling policy agreed floor tiles may be worn by use. All Accidental marksthe wipe-marks may be visible. knife on the edge of the bricks or with a specialist. Even where

Dog, cat, foot and hobnail boot these can indicate the use and or Sunken margins may be visible tile.there is a selective sampling impressions are all found on the reuse of an individual tile. –depressed margins on the edge strategy each fragment should be surfaces of bricks and tiles, Stampsof the bricks from the moulding inspected for marks and stamps.

Roman CBM was often reused later in Some bricks and tiles were impressed when the object was process.the period, including in new structures stamped, usually indicating a drying prior to firing.Surface treatment:and as rubble and can indicate earlier production site. Some of the most Keying

Post-firing treatment and structures on or near the site. Roman Keying can be scored with a knife common stamps are the variants Cutting and handlingreuse bricks and tiles were also reused in Some tiles were cut or trimmed or sharp implement, combed, or on PPBRILON: P(rocuratores) Folowing firing bricks and tiles may later periods when brick and tile was after the initial tile is formed in roller-stamped with a wooden P(rovinciae) Bri(taniae) Lon(dini): have been cut to size to fit their not readily available. the mould, tegula are the main roller. The procurators (or procurator) of intended use, nail holes may also be example, with a series of types of the province of Britannia at added. CBM may be scorched or Signature marks and 'cutaway' to allow the tiles to London. Civilian stamps are also burnt (even vitrified) or sooted talliesoverlap, some tiles were pierced known.

Some tiles and bricks have from use in hypocausts, ovens and for nailing before firing. Finger

approximately 2x2 Roman feet, there were tessellated floors of small cutaway rather than at the ends.Roofing tileImbrices (sing. imbrex) are the Sesquepedalis 1.5x1.5 foot, tesserae. Tesserae were cut from fired A roof of tiles was extremely heavy,

Wall tilescurved tile that spans two flanged Pedalis 1x1 foot, and Lydion bricks tiles, as well as from pottery, and was only suitable for well-Wall tiles (parietals) are thin tiles used in tegulae. The tile tapers to one end. used for building walls are 1x1.5 amphorae and various stones constructed buildings, other roof making cavity walls as part of a f o o t . B e s s a l i s m e a s u r e including marble.coverings included wooden

Ridge tiles are similar to imbrices, hypocaust system. They are notched to approximately 0.75x0.75 foot and shingles and thatch.but have straight sides. Imbrices may allow fixing with bobbin spacers and Voussoir tileswere often used for pilae capped by also be used as ridge tiles. Voussoir tiles were small wedge nails to the wall. They are frequently Tegulae are large, flat tiles with pedalis bricks (a Roman foot was

shaped tiles used to form arches; keyed on one face to allow plaster to flanges along two sides. They are approximately 296mm).Antefix tiles are decorated tiles some are shaped to support flat tiles bond to the outside surface.rectangular in shape or slightly that fit on the end of imbrices at the for vaulted roofs ('armchair' Tegulae mammatae: there are tapered. The tiles were used on low eaves, or at the end of roof ridges. Water pipesvoussoirs).two types of tegulae mammatae, angled roofs, with imbrices covering

Ceramic water pipes are occasionally Type A are probably for flooring and the joint between tegulae. Some Structural bricks found on sites, lead and wooden pipes Box flue tileshave shallow lugs (mammae) to help tegulae have nail-holes on the Roman bricks were flat and usually Box flue tiles were used in hypocaust were also used. The ceramic pipes have the tiles bond with each other or the upper edge to fix them, although rectangular or square, with round systems to create ducts for hot air one narrower end to fit inside the next bedding material. Type B has not most are not nailed and rely on bricks for pillars. Bricks were used within walls. They are usually heavily section.been found in London.gravity.to form structures, arches, and as keyed on two sides to allow plaster to string courses in masonry buildings. adhere. Vent holes are cut in the Floor tiles and tesseraeTegulae have 'cut aways' on the

unkeyed sides. Hollow voussoir tiles Roman flooring was usually of corners to allow the rows of tiles Pilae bricks were used to create were used to extend the ducts within beaten earth, with opus signinum to overlap, these cut aways can be the characteristic stacks of tiles vaulted ceilings. Half box-flue tiles are (Roman concrete) floors in higher broadly dated by form. Due to their supporting floors in hypocaust similar to box flue tiles, but are only status buildings. Small rectangular broadly flat shape tegulae are often systems. half of the box. The flanges are taller tiles known as opus spicatum were reused in other structures or

than on tegulae and there is a central set in herringbone patterns, and surfaces. Bipedal is br icks measure

Urban Archaeology

...define, record, remove...

Factsheet produced by Urban Archaeology, with thanks to Ian Betts for comments on the text.

London artefact series No 1: ROMAN CERAMIC BUILDING MATERIAL

During the Roman period ceramic building material (CBM) was used for various Identifying Roman CBMconstruction purposes across Britain. Due to the lack of building stone local to London brick CBM can sometimes be confused with Roman and post-medieval pottery, look for sand or and tile (ceramic building material: CBM) was extensively used, however 'clay and timber' straw marks on the surface from mould-made CBM as opposed to the wheel-marks from construction types were the most common technique of building in Londinium, with a smaller thrown pottery. Post-Roman CBM was made using the same basic techniques and raw number of masonry buildings (often using brick 'string courses'). No Roman buildings solely materials as Roman CBM, however Roman CBM often has a denser fabric than later bricks built of brick have been found to date in London, however brick and tile were extensively and tiles, and is often better made. Roman bricks are also thinner than later bricks, whilst used as is attested by the amount of CBM found on London sites, even in rural areas where it Roman tiles are usually thicker than later tiles. Underfired Roman CBM often has a blue core. suggests a 'background noise' of Roman presence. Try and inspect recognisable pieces of dated CBM to help identify less-diagnostic fragments.

CBM was made relatively locally to Londinium, with major kiln sites to the west of London Typesalong Watling Street, as well as material from other production sites around London and There are four common types of Roman CBM: roofing tiles, structural bricks, floor tiles and beyond. There is some evidence for tile making within Londinium itself. Finished products tesserae, and box-flue tiles. There are also other forms such as water pipes and wall tiles. were transported by road, or by boat. Different fabrics were produced at different sites, and Individual pieces were often reused for other functions in later structures, or could be cut CBM can be broadly dated by fabric and form. down to form tesserae.

Bessa l i s br ick with PPBRLON stamp

Bibliography and further reading

Betts, IM 1986 Identifying ceramic building material, Museum of London Department for Urban Archaeology

Brodribb, , 1987 Roman Brick and Tile, Alan Sutton Publishing

Warry, P. 2006 Tegulae: Manufacture, Typology and Use in Roman Britain, BAR 417 Oxford: Archaeopress

Tegula tile

Urban Archaeology factsheets are available to download for FREE from © Urban Archaeology 2013http://urban-archaeology.blogspot.co.uk/

A Lydion brick found in London had been inscribed with the graffito

AVSTALIS DIBVS XIII VAGATVR SIB COTIDIM

‘Austalis has been wandering off on his own everyday for the past 13 days’

Opus spicatum bricks‘Cutaway’ on underside of a tegula

Scales 10 cm

Box flue tile Ceramic water pipe

Imbrex tile

Fragment of tesselated floor using tesserae made from CBM and amphora

Detail of PPBRLON stamp

Roller stamped flue tile

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