Technological Innovations in Architecture During Antiquity. The Case of Cyprus

Abstract

Stone, adobe and mortars have constituted the primary building materials throughout antiquity in Cyprus and many other countries in the Mediterranean area. What is impressive is that many structural innovations took place during the first periods of antiquity such as the first use of adobes, the investigation of gypsum and lime manufacture technology as well as the appearance of ashlar stone. In this paper the results of a systematic research regarding the different building materials used during the earliest periods of antiquity in Cyprus are presented. The investigation of prehistoric mortars demonstrated that the discovery of lime and gypsum technology occurred on the island during the Neolithic period while lime mortars were widely disseminated during the Chalcolithic period. Although the production of adobes in Cyprus seems to have been known since the Neolithic period, the use of moulds during their preparation was identified during the Late Bronze Age. The appearance of ashlar stone occurred during the Late Bronze Age, while in the earlier periods only rubble stone was used. It is interesting that each innovation in building technology is associated with other social, economic and political factors of each period. Thus, the first appearance of lime and gypsum mortars as well as the first use of adobe coincided with the first permanent habitation on the island. In parallel, the discovery of crushed-brick lime mortars, the use of moulds in the manufacture of adobes as well as the use of ashlar during the Late Bronze Age can be connected with the development of the first urban settlements with monumental public buildings.