On a hunt to find out how the Romans built Trier
A team from Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier, Goethe University Frankfurt, and the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA) is investigating one of the largest collections of stamped Roman bricks from the northern provinces, of which only a small portion has been previously analyzed.
For the first time, archaeometric analyses—an interdisciplinary scientific approach—will determine the bricks’ chemical composition to identify the raw materials used. This analysis could enable researchers to trace the materials’ origins, potentially leading to the discovery of ancient workshops. Specifically, according to the University of Frankfurt, “the spatial distribution of the bricks” will allow researchers to reconstruct the architectural development of the ancient Roman city.