This is the trailer for the Build Like a Roman podcast.

Build Like a Roman is a podcast about how the Roman world was built.

Focusing on materials, craft, and construction, each episode explores the practical realities of Roman building — from stone, brick, and mortar to the organisation of labour and technical skill behind surviving structures.

Short, focused episodes introduce core building materials before diving deeper into how buildings were made, maintained, and understood in the Roman world.

For students of archaeology, history, and art history — and for anyone interested in how ancient buildings actually came into being.

North Africa and Western Asia are home to a multitude of Roman buildings. Some still used on a daily basis, others in ruins, but that's typically not the fault of the original builders. The fact that these still exist at all after 2,000 years or more is a testament to skill and creativity of the original builders.

There are some great Podcast which look at Roman politics, history, and architecture, however in this Podcast, we focus on Construction history, that being building materials, techniques and and the people who did the work!

From structures to frescos, we'll cover it all!

Buy me a Coffee

Bluesky

Instagram

Follow:

Acast

Apple

Patreon

Spotify

Music Happy harp 6109353

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What were Roman floors like?

We know about their mosaics, but what about clay tile? Stone slabs, mortar floors or floorboards?

Photos of this episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWj65iAl9ce/

☕ Buy Me a Coffee - https://ko-fi.com/buildlikearoman

Glossary for this episode

• pavimentum → floor / pavement (the visible finished surface)
• pavire → to beat down / ram / compact
• statumen → foundation layer of large stones
• rudus → compacted rubble layer bound with lime
• nucleus → fine levelling layer (lime + crushed pottery/aggregate)
• contignatio (contignationes) → timber floor structure / framed floor system
• tignum → beam / timber
• tessera (tesserae) → small cubes used in mosaics
• opus tessellatum → standard mosaic work (medium tesserae)
• opus vermiculatum → fine mosaic work (very small tesserae, high detail)
• emblema (emblemata) → central mosaic panel (often pre-made and inserted)
• opus sectile → cut-stone flooring (shaped pieces fitted together)
• opus spicatum → herringbone brick/tile pattern
• basoli → large stone paving blocks (often basalt, used for streets/heavy use)
• opus signinum → lime + crushed terracotta with occasional inserts
• cocciopesto → lime + crushed terracotta (no inserts)
• opus → “work” / construction method (e.g. stonework, brickwork)

Sources:

Vitruvius, De Architectura

• Primary source for Roman floor construction (Book VII, pavements; layered systems: statumen, rudus, nucleus).

Pliny the Elder, Natural History

• References to opus signinum and crushed ceramic flooring materials.

Roger Ling, Roman Painting

• Includes discussion of decorative interiors and mosaic techniques.

David S. Neal, Roman Mosaics in Britain

• Key work on mosaic types, techniques, and regional variation.

Buy me a Coffee

Bluesky

Instagram

Follow:

Acast

Apple

Patreon

Spotify

Music Happy harp 6109353

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What was Roman window glass like?

Well, to start with it had bubbles in it, you couldn't really see through and it was expensive.

Listen to this episode to learn about Roman glass, what was it, where it was made, and by whom.

Photos of this episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWW4wx2lzbW/

☕ Buy Me a Coffee - https://ko-fi.com/buildlikearoman

Sources:

Archaeological Studies

• Ian Freestone (University College London): Freestone is widely considered the world's leading authority on the chemical provenance of Roman glass.
• Patrick Degryse, Glass-making in Antiquity: Isotope Analysis (2014): The definitive scientific text on using strontium and neodymium isotopes to track Roman glass back to specific Mediterranean beaches.
• Allen, D. (2002), Roman Window Glass: A specialized study that looks specifically at the architectural use of glass.

Ancient Historical Sources

• Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia (Natural History), Book 36: This is the most famous source. Pliny describes the accidental discovery of glass by Phoenician merchants on the River Belus
• Strabo, Geographica: Writing in the early 1st century AD, strabo notes the unique properties of the sand to be melted into glass, highlighting the Levant's industrial dominance.
• Diocletian Edict on Maximum Prices (301 AD): A massive document of regulated prices across the empire.
• Shipwreck Evidence
• The Embiez Shipwreck (France): A 3rd-century wreck that was carrying nearly two tons of raw glass chunks and blocks from the East.
• The Grado Shipwreck (Adriatic Sea): Famous for carrying a massive cargo of cullet (broken glass) meant for recycling.

Buy me a Coffee

Bluesky

Instagram

Follow:

Acast

Apple

Patreon

Spotify

Music Happy harp 6109353

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to know what a 'Party wall' actually is? Give this a listen.

This week, the Build Like a Roman Podcast is looking at Roman Wattle and Daub, Opus Craticium. A building style that was probably for more widespread than we'd think.

☕ Buy Me a Coffee - https://ko-fi.com/buildlikearoman

Photos for this episode on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWBM5Ftl46c/

This Episode's Translations:

• Opus Caementicium – Roman concrete
• Opus Craticium – Timber-frame wall with wattle or lath and plaster
• Craticii – Woven branch framework (wattle)
• Harundo – Reed used for lathing
• Assulae / Asseres – Wooden lath strips
• Tector – Plasterer
• Trulla – Plasterer’s trowel
• Trullissatio – First coat of plaster
• Faber Tignarius – Carpenter
• Paries Communis – Party wall (shared wall)
• Ambitus – Passage between neighbouring houses
• Insula – Roman apartment building
• Partire – “To divide,” origin of the word party in party wall

For students of archaeology, history, and art history — and for

anyone interested in how ancient buildings actually came into being.

North Africa and Western Asia are home to a multitude of Roman

buildings. Some still used on a daily basis, others in ruins, but that's

typically not the fault of the original builders. The fact that these still

exist at all after 2,000 years or more is a testament to skill and creativity

of the original builders.

There are some great Podcast which look at Roman politics,

history, and architecture, however in this Podcast, we focus on Construction

history, that being building materials, techniques and and the people who did

the work!

From structures to frescos, we'll cover it all!

Hosted by Darren McLean.

ktwsba7h

Buy me a Coffee

Bluesky

Instagram

Follow:

Acast

Apple

Patreon

Spotify

Music Happy harp 6109353

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the Build Like a Roman Podcast is about Roman plumbing, from the infrastructure to the delivery of it and the materials used.

☕ Buy Me a Coffee - https://ko-fi.com/buildlikearoman

Photos of this episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVycL_zl1zl/

This Episodes Translations:

Aquaeductus = water pipe or water tube

Cloaca Maxima = Great Sewer

Curator Aquarum = Water commissioner

Libratores = Surveyor

aqua sub pressione = Pressure engineering

castellum aquae divisorium = water distribution terminal

quinaria = A measurement of water

Furtum aquae = Water theft

Vitium = a fault, defect, or point of illegal tampering in the system

Plumbum = Lead

Aes = Bronze

Tubuli fictiles = Terracotta pipes

Redemptor = a type of combined contractor, and project manager

For students of archaeology, history, and art history — and for

anyone interested in how ancient buildings actually came into being.

North Africa and Western Asia are home to a multitude of Roman

buildings. Some still used on a daily basis, others in ruins, but that's

typically not the fault of the original builders. The fact that these still

exist at all after 2,000 years or more is a testament to skill and creativity

of the original builders.

There are some great Podcast which look at Roman politics,

history, and architecture, however in this Podcast, we focus on Construction

history, that being building materials, techniques and and the people who did

the work!

From structures to frescos, we'll cover it all!

Hosted by Darren McLean.

Buy me a Coffee

Bluesky

Instagram

Follow:

Acast

Apple

Patreon

Spotify

Music Happy harp 6109353

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that the Romans - and others, such as the Greeks - used asbestos as a woven fibre?

They valued its fireproof nature and used it accordingly. They may also be the first culture to have recorded using PPE!

☕ Buy Me a Coffee - https://ko-fi.com/buildlikearoman

Build Like a Roman is a podcast about how the Roman world was built.

Focusing on materials, craft, and construction, each episode

explores the practical realities of Roman building — from stone, brick, and

mortar to the organisation of labour and technical skill behind surviving

structures.

Short, focused episodes introduce core building materials before

diving deeper into how buildings were made, maintained, and understood in the

Roman world.

For students of archaeology, history, and art history — and for

anyone interested in how ancient buildings actually came into being.

North Africa and Western Asia are home to a multitude of Roman

buildings. Some still used on a daily basis, others in ruins, but that's

typically not the fault of the original builders. The fact that these still

exist at all after 2,000 years or more is a testament to skill and creativity

of the original builders.

There are some great Podcast which look at Roman politics,

history, and architecture, however in this Podcast, we focus on Construction

history, that being building materials, techniques and and the people who did

the work!

From structures to frescos, we'll cover it all!

Hosted by Darren McLean.

Buy me a Coffee

Bluesky

Instagram

Follow:

Acast

Apple

Patreon

Spotify

Music Happy harp 6109353

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why bury a Million nails?

The Romans used a wide variety of metals, both ferrous and non-ferrous.

Iron, lead, bronze, brass, tin and copper were all commonly used by the Romans.

For structural connections, plumbing, door handles, decorative elements or any other practical use, in or for the home, the Romans had a solution!

☕ Buy Me a Coffee - https://ko-fi.com/buildlikearoman

This Episodes Instagram image link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DU6MQ-JjVgl/

• Ferrum → Iron
• Plumbum → Lead
• Stannum → Tin
• Aes → Copper alloy (bronze or brass)
• Cuprum → Copper
• Cadmia → Zinc ore (used to make brass)
• Argentum → Silver
• Aurum → Gold
• Clavus → Nail
• Fibula → Fastener / clasp (sometimes a clamp)
• Fistula → Pipe (usually lead)
• Aes coronarium → Thin decorative bronze sheet
• Aerugo → Verdigris (green corrosion on copper alloys)

Note:

The Romans did not separate “bronze” and “brass” the way we do today. Both were usually called aes — meaning copper alloy.

For students of archaeology, history, and art history — and for

anyone interested in how ancient buildings actually came into being.

North Africa and Western Asia are home to a multitude of Roman

buildings. Some still used on a daily basis, others in ruins, but that's

typically not the fault of the original builders. The fact that these still

exist at all after 2,000 years or more is a testament to skill and creativity

of the original builders.

There are some great Podcast which look at Roman politics,

history, and architecture, however in this Podcast, we focus on Construction

history, that being building materials, techniques and and the people who did

the work!

From structures to frescos, we'll cover it all!

Hosted by Darren McLean.

Buy me a Coffee

Bluesky

Instagram

Follow:

Acast

Apple

Patreon

Spotify

Music Happy harp 6109353

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.