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Marcus Vitruvius Pollio Quotes about Wall

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Bricks will be most serviceable if made two years before using; for they cannot dry thoroughly in less time. When fresh undried bricks are used in a wall, the stucco covering stiffens and hardens into a permanent mass,

Bricks will be most serviceable if made two years before using; for they cannot dry thoroughly in less time. When fresh undried bricks are used in a wall, the stucco covering stiffens and hardens into a permanent mass, but the bricks settle and the motion caused by their shrinking prevents them from adhering to it, and they are separated from their union with it. At Utica in constructing walls they use brick only if it is dry and made five years previously, and approved as such by the authority of a magistrate.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Wall, Years, Two
"De architectura". Book by Vitruvius. Book II, Chapter III, Section 2,

Dimension stone, flint, rubble, burnt or unburnt brick, use them as you find them. For it is not every neighborhood or particular locality that can have a wall built of burnt brick like that at Babylon, where there was plenty of asphalt to take the place of lime and sand, and yet possibly each may be provided with materials of equal usefulness so that out of them a faultless wall may be built to last forever.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Wall, Forever, Use
"De architectura". Book by Vitruvius. Book I, Chapter V, Section 8,

The thickness of the walls should be sufficient for two armed men to pass each other with ease.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Wall, Men, Two
Marcus VITRUVIUS POLLIO, Joseph GWILT (1826). “The Architecture of M. Vitruvius Pollio in Ten Books, Translated from the Latin by J. Gwilt”, p.22

In Sparta, paintings have been taken out of certain walls by cutting through the bricks, then have been placed in wooden frames, and so brought to the Comitium to adorn the aedileship of [C. Visellius] Varro and [C. Licinius] Murena.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Wall, Taken, Cutting
"De architectura (Ten Books on Architecture)". Book by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (Book II, Chapter VIII, Section 9), circa 15 BC.

There are two styles of walls "opus reticulatum," now used by everybody and the ancient style called "opus incertum." Of these, the reticulatum looks better, but its construction makes it likely to crack. On the other hand, in the opus incertum, the rubble lying in courses and imbricated, makes a wall which though not beautiful, is stronger.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Beautiful, Wall, Lying
"De architectura". Book by Vitruvius. Book II, Chapter VIII: "Methods of Building Walls", Sec. 1,

At Halicarnassus, the house of that most potent king Mausolus, though decorated throughout with Proconnesian marble, has walls built of brick which are to this day of extraordinary strength, and are covered with stucco so highly polished that they seem to be as glistening as glass. That king did not use brick from poverty; for he was choke-full of revenues, being ruler of all Caria.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Kings, Wall, Glasses
"De architectura (Ten Books on Architecture)". Book by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (Book II, Chapter VIII, Section 10), circa 15 BC.

In setting out the walls of a city the choice of a healthy situation is of the first importance: it should be on high ground, neither subject to fogs nor rains; its aspects should be neither violently hot nor intensely cold, but temperate in both respects.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Baby, Wall, Rain
Marcus VITRUVIUS POLLIO, Joseph GWILT (1826). “The Architecture of M. Vitruvius Pollio in Ten Books, Translated from the Latin by J. Gwilt”, p.16

Leave a cavity behind the [wall] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick or lava in courses, and then bind them to the fronts by means of iron clamps and lead. The beds and builds, all settling equally and bonded at the joints, will not let the work bulge out, nor allow the fall of the face walls which have been tightly fastened together.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Wall, Fall, Mean
"De architectura". Book by Vitruvius. Book II, Chapter VIII, Section 4,

From the exterior face of the wall towers must be projected, from which an approaching enemy may be annoyed by weapons, from the embrasures of those towers, right and left.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Wall, Annoyed, Enemy
Marcus VITRUVIUS POLLIO, Joseph GWILT (1826). “The Architecture of M. Vitruvius Pollio in Ten Books, Translated from the Latin by J. Gwilt”, p.21

There are also half bricks. As the bricks are always laid so as to break joints, this lends strength and a not unattractive appearance to both sides of such walls.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Wall, Half, Unattractive
"De architectura". Book by Vitruvius. Book II, Chapter III, Section 4,

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