2nd Edition

Roman Building Materials and Techniques

By Jean-Pierre Adam Copyright 2026
646 Pages 776 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This new English edition of Roman Building makes available the most up-to-date revision of the text to a new generation of English scholars of Roman architecture and technology.

Covering every aspect of Roman building techniques from surveying and preparing the materials to decorating and heating the finished structures, this volume offers the most comprehensive discussion of the subject. Placing emphasis on the technical aspects of the subject, it follows the process of building through each stage – from quarry to standing wall, from tree to roof timbers – and how these materials were obtained or manufactured. Besides construction, masonry, carpentry and interiors, this book examines domestic and commercial architecture in shops, baths and workshops, as well as civil engineering projects such as aqueducts and roads.

Illustrated with over 750 photographs, maps and drawings, Roman Building remains the seminal reference work for Roman architectural technology for students and scholars alike.

Introduction; 1. Surveying; 2. Materials; 3. Construction using Large Stone Blocks; 4. Structures of Mixed Construction; 5. Masonry Construction; 6. Arches and Vaults; 7. Carpentry; 8. Wall Covering; 9. Floors; 10. Civil Engineering; 11. Domestic and Commercial Architecture.

Biography

Jean-Pierre Adam, architect and archaeologist, was head of the Paris office of the Institute for Research on Ancient Architecture (CNRS) from 1972 to 2022.