Concrete and mortar pavements and floors. Vocabulary, techniques, distribution.
Ausonius| N° d'inventaire | 23845 |
| Format | 22 x 28 |
| Détails | 361 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Bordeaux, 2021 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782356133670 |
Memoirs 59.
Research on floors constructed in Antiquity has made spectacular progress in recent years, mainly due to the interest that archaeologists and researchers are beginning to pay to them from a technical point of view and no longer solely from a stylistic one. Furthermore, the development of knowledge on ancient techniques, thanks to in-depth analyses by restorers, geologists and specialists in the study of materials, demonstrates the possibilities of gathering new information in order to better understand the work of the “pavimentarius”, or ancient mosaicist. However, concrete floors – a term that should now be preferred to those of mortar or “opus signinum” – have been very little concerned by this research, which has mainly focused on tesserae pavements (juxtaposition of cubes of stone, marble or terracotta).
The specialists gathered at the international conference held in Aix-en-Provence examined these floors from a technical, archaeological, and historical perspective. The papers here present varied dossiers in terms of both chronology and geography. The wide distribution of these floors, which range from the Hellenistic period to the churches of Late Antiquity, underlines the extent to which this type of pavement was used and appreciated over a very long period, much longer than traditionally accepted. These twenty contributions will include discussions on ancient and very recent discoveries from the South of France, from important cities in Narbonne as well as more modest sites, but also two more northern incursions, one towards Reims, the other towards Avenches in Switzerland. Finally, exceptional pavements led the conference from Greece to Egypt, from Spain to Italy, where the decoration is often complemented by colorful additions. Between painting and paving, we are at the meeting of two professions.
The harvest of documents that the researchers were kind enough to present for the first time was a surprise to many. And it was extraordinarily rich for the discussions on the difficult question of the vocabulary to use to describe what now appears to be a beautiful and great diversity. The broad chronology examined, including Late Antiquity and the medieval period – the latter more advanced in the study of mortars – proved its interest, raising questions of implementation and supply, highlighting the technical mastery of ancient mosaicists.
Memoirs 59.
Research on floors constructed in Antiquity has made spectacular progress in recent years, mainly due to the interest that archaeologists and researchers are beginning to pay to them from a technical point of view and no longer solely from a stylistic one. Furthermore, the development of knowledge on ancient techniques, thanks to in-depth analyses by restorers, geologists and specialists in the study of materials, demonstrates the possibilities of gathering new information in order to better understand the work of the “pavimentarius”, or ancient mosaicist. However, concrete floors – a term that should now be preferred to those of mortar or “opus signinum” – have been very little concerned by this research, which has mainly focused on tesserae pavements (juxtaposition of cubes of stone, marble or terracotta).
The specialists gathered at the international conference held in Aix-en-Provence examined these floors from a technical, archaeological, and historical perspective. The papers here present varied dossiers in terms of both chronology and geography. The wide distribution of these floors, which range from the Hellenistic period to the churches of Late Antiquity, underlines the extent to which this type of pavement was used and appreciated over a very long period, much longer than traditionally accepted. These twenty contributions will include discussions on ancient and very recent discoveries from the South of France, from important cities in Narbonne as well as more modest sites, but also two more northern incursions, one towards Reims, the other towards Avenches in Switzerland. Finally, exceptional pavements led the conference from Greece to Egypt, from Spain to Italy, where the decoration is often complemented by colorful additions. Between painting and paving, we are at the meeting of two professions.
The harvest of documents that the researchers were kind enough to present for the first time was a surprise to many. And it was extraordinarily rich for the discussions on the difficult question of the vocabulary to use to describe what now appears to be a beautiful and great diversity. The broad chronology examined, including Late Antiquity and the medieval period – the latter more advanced in the study of mortars – proved its interest, raising questions of implementation and supply, highlighting the technical mastery of ancient mosaicists.