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Publications in Scientific Journals:

G. Esser:
"Masonry Construction as Built Archives: An Innovative Analytical Approach to Reconstructing the Evolution of Imperial Opus Testaceum Brickwork in Rome";
Nuts & Bolts of Contruction History (invited), Vol. 3 / Paris (2012), ISBN: 978-2-7084-0929-3; 13 - 20.



English abstract:
Although archaeological research has long pursued the goal of using of opus testaceum brickwork to date building structures, hardly any of the methods proposed have provided reliable dating results. The present paper, which is based on the authorīs doctoral thesis (Esser 2008), investigates new dating methods for testaceum brickwork. The prime objective of the study is to define numerical characteristics capable of providing statistical evidence for the evolution of opus testaceum.

The study resulted in a standardized procedure for recording and evaluating antique testaceum brickwork that facilitates a comparison based on significant parameters. Secondly, the application of the parameters yielded evidence that helps to clearly define a chronological pattern of determinable development in brickwork. The large group of testaceum structures allows broader investigation that could in the future lead to the recording and understanding of this technique in its entirety.

German abstract:
see English abstract

Keywords:
Construction Process - Dating - Historical Period: Antiquity - Technical Innovation - Mapping - Masonry Construction - Methods of Research - Numerical Analysis - Technical Norms - Organisation of Building Sites - Structural Morphology


Electronic version of the publication:
http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/PubDat_215158.pdf


Created from the Publication Database of the Vienna University of Technology.