Of all the kinds of architecture that have appeared and developed in the course of the last
five millennia, Roman architecture is extraordinarily rich in terms of the buildings,
monuments and structures which survive, and the variety of materials and means by
which they were constructed. Much of our respect for Roman architectural achievement
can be attributed both to this remarkable survival and to the incorporation of Roman
theoretical and practical ideas into the practice of architecture from the Renaissance to
the present day. In these circumstances it is surprising that there has been no modern
study of Roman constructional and building techniques and it is this gap which JeanPierre
Adam’s book sets out to fill. It aims to provide a systematic study of building
materials and the various types of building technique, in brick, stone and marble; arch
and vault construction; carpentry; types and techniques of interior decoration; and
methods of civil engineering for water supply, heating, baths and roads. Minor domestic
buildings, workshops and shops are also considered