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[[Image:Imbrex Tegula PD.gif|right|thumb|400px|Each ''tegula'' overlaps the one below it, with its raised borders tapering in to nestle between the next tile's borders. Curved ''imbrices'' cover the joints between flat tegulae; some imbrices are not shown in order to reveal the details of the tegulae.]] |
[[Image:Imbrex Tegula PD.gif|right|thumb|400px|Each ''tegula'' overlaps the one below it, with its raised borders tapering in to nestle between the next tile's borders. Curved ''imbrices'' cover the joints between flat tegulae; some imbrices are not shown in order to reveal the details of the tegulae.]] |
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[[Image:RoofTiles CC-BY Stewart.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Imbrices and tegulae are still in use in Rome in 2005.]] |
[[Image:RoofTiles CC-BY Stewart.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Imbrices and tegulae are still in use in Rome in 2005.]] |
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The '''imbrex''' and '''tegula''' were interlocking [[roof]]ing [[tile]]s used in ancient [[Greek architecture|Greek]] and [[Roman architecture]] as |
The '''imbrex''' and '''tegula''' were interlocking [[roof]]ing [[tile]]s used in ancient [[Greek architecture|Greek]] and [[Roman architecture]] as waterproof and durable roof covering. In Rome they first started to replace [[roof shingle|shingle]]s around the year 500, and were used on almost every type of structure, from humble outbuildings to grand temples and public facilities.<!--year CCCCLXX, per Pliny--><ref>Smith, William. [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Tegula.html "Tegula"]. ''A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities''. John Murray, London, 1875. (public domain text)</ref> |
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The tegula (plural '''tegulae''') was a plain flat tile, or a flat tile with raised edges, which was laid flat upon the roof, while the imbrex (plural '''imbrices''') was a semi-cylindrical roofing tile, like a half-pipe, laid over the joints between the tegulae. |
The tegula (plural '''tegulae''') was a plain flat tile, or a flat tile with raised edges, which was laid flat upon the roof, while the imbrex (plural '''imbrices''') was a semi-cylindrical roofing tile, like a half-pipe, laid over the joints between the tegulae. When well-made and properly imbricated (overlapped), there was little need for further waterproofing or [[sealant]]. |
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Tegulae were originally made perfectly flat, or with nothing more than a ridge underneath the upper border, which allowed the tile to be "hung" upon the [[rafter]]s of a sloping roof so that it would not slide off to the ground. Later, tegulae were formed with a raised border on the two vertical sides, which would channel rainwater to the bottom of the tile, rather than allowing it to seep between tiles to dampen the roofing materials. Another improvement occured when these two raised borders were made to converge, forming a broad v-shaped [[trapezoid]] with the narrowest edge downwards, nestling into the widest part of the tile below it to form a continuous channel.<ref name="Warry">Warry, Peter. ''Tegulae Manufacture, typology and use in Roman Britain''. Archaeopress: Oxford, England. 2006. (ISBN 1841719560)</ref> |
Tegulae were originally made perfectly flat, or with nothing more than a ridge underneath the upper border, which allowed the tile to be "hung" upon the [[rafter]]s of a sloping roof so that it would not slide off to the ground. Later, tegulae were formed with a raised border on the two vertical sides, which would channel rainwater to the bottom of the tile, rather than allowing it to seep between tiles to dampen the roofing materials. Another improvement occured when these two raised borders were made to converge, forming a broad v-shaped [[trapezoid]] with the narrowest edge downwards, nestling into the widest part of the tile below it to form a continuous channel.<ref name="Warry">Warry, Peter. ''Tegulae Manufacture, typology and use in Roman Britain''. Archaeopress: Oxford, England. 2006. (ISBN 1841719560)</ref> |
Revision as of 01:12, 29 September 2006
The imbrex and tegula were interlocking roofing tiles used in ancient Greek and Roman architecture as waterproof and durable roof covering. In Rome they first started to replace shingles around the year 500, and were used on almost every type of structure, from humble outbuildings to grand temples and public facilities.[1]
The tegula (plural tegulae) was a plain flat tile, or a flat tile with raised edges, which was laid flat upon the roof, while the imbrex (plural imbrices) was a semi-cylindrical roofing tile, like a half-pipe, laid over the joints between the tegulae. When well-made and properly imbricated (overlapped), there was little need for further waterproofing or sealant.
Tegulae were originally made perfectly flat, or with nothing more than a ridge underneath the upper border, which allowed the tile to be "hung" upon the rafters of a sloping roof so that it would not slide off to the ground. Later, tegulae were formed with a raised border on the two vertical sides, which would channel rainwater to the bottom of the tile, rather than allowing it to seep between tiles to dampen the roofing materials. Another improvement occured when these two raised borders were made to converge, forming a broad v-shaped trapezoid with the narrowest edge downwards, nestling into the widest part of the tile below it to form a continuous channel.[2]
The imbrices completed the waterproofing of the roof by arching over the joints between the vertical edges of the tegulae, dividing the roof into an equal number of channels, down which the water descended into the gutter (canalis) to be discharged through ornamental openings, frequently decorated with lions' heads (capita leonina) or other fantastic or grotesque faces. The rows of flat tiles terminated in a front piece (ornamented with frontons), which was set immediately above the cornice.
Roofing tiles were originally made, like bricks, of wet clay in a four-sided mold, often shaped with a piece of wire, and then baked. More sophisticated molds were developed over time. Imbrices and tegulae are still common finds in archaeological sites, and their design and markings can be of use in dating the sites and identifying the inhabitants.[2]
Tiles of marble were first used around the year 620 BC.[3] Besides the superior beauty and durability of the material, these tiles could be made of a much larger size than those of clay. Consequently, they were used in the construction of the greatest temples, such as the Temple of Zeus at Olympia[3], the Parthenon at Athens, and the Serapeium at Puteoli (modern Pozzuoli). Still more expensive and magnificent were tiles made of bronze and gilt.[4]
Some tegulae were made under the auspices of various Roman legions, and were imprinted with a stamp of the legion's insignia. For instance, a 1993 archaeological dig in Merseyside uncovered over 300 kilograms of tile and kiln remains. Some of the tegulae were stamped with the "LXXVV" insigniae of the Legio XX Valeria Victrix.[5][6]
References
- ^ Smith, William. "Tegula". A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. John Murray, London, 1875. (public domain text)
- ^ a b Warry, Peter. Tegulae Manufacture, typology and use in Roman Britain. Archaeopress: Oxford, England. 2006. (ISBN 1841719560)
- ^ a b Pausanias, Description of Greece, v.10 §2
- ^ Pliny the Elder's Natural History, Book 33.3 §18
- ^ Swan, Vivien G. and Philpott, Robert A. "Legio XX VV and Tile Production at Tarbock, Merseyside". Britannia, Vol. 31, 2000, pp. 55-67.
- ^ Malone, Stephen James. Legio XX Valeria Victrix: Prosopography, archaeology and history. Archaeopress: Oxford, England. 2006. ISBN 1841719226.