Bricks are cool.
Think about it: someone, at some stage, realised that it would be much easier to build something from smaller similar-sized units rather than create larger structures perfectly made to measure.
Genius.
And then, in addition, they figured out that if you fired clay bricks they become very strong.
But only if they’re the right consistency. And if they’re fired at the right temperature.
They need to be heated to a temperature ideally between 900 and 1150 degrees Celsius, for at least 8-15 hours. Not an easy feat to accomplish, especially not if you’re a Roman on the road.
Kiln operators needed the skill not only to stack the bricks in the right way, but also to regulate the temperature (too hot and they crack, too cold and they won’t be solid enough).
It probably took a couple of centuries of experimenting with different mixtures of sand, clay and lime - as will as ways to build kilns and to regulate the temperature.
Kiln masters in my mind were a kind of alchemists - they knew the secret of turning something weak and vulnerable, clay, into this incredibly solid building material using fire and special mixtures of ingredients.
In addition, they knew how to create different colours - and that is what today’s visual prompt is all about. For example, the higher the iron content of the original mixture, the redder the brick.
The Romans not only used bricks for major buildings in their vast Empire (The Colosseum, Aquaducts, etc.), but they also spread brick building throughout the regions they conquered.
With their mobile kilns whey were able to create bricks on-the-go, another brilliant logistic solution. They even stamped these locally produced bricks with the sign of their legion. Archeologists and historians will be forever grateful.
Blue glazed paving pricks, Het Scheepvaartkwartier, Rotterdam - photo by the author
If you ever dig up a brick in your garden make sure to check for any signs of Roman civilisation.
No need to go digging around for today’s visual prompt however.
Simply see how many different brick colour you can spot and capture.
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