2009-11-24 15:34:10 Felicity Winkley fwinkley 2011-02-24 13:47:20 Daniel Pett dpett LON-BFCB35 Tile A Roman brick fragment with incised decoration (43-410 AD). The find consists of a corner fragment from a large Roman brick, probably a lydion or a pedalis. The tile has been made using an iron-rich clay heavily tempered with grog and quartz; the fabric has not been mixed evenly and these tempers gather in large striations. The fabric also contains a large number of air bubbles. The front surface of the brick has been decorated with a swirling pattern that was incised by the maker with a fingernail whilst the clay was still plastic. Such marks made pre-firing are usually known as signature marks, but they tend to be a small hemisphere or symbol, and restricted to one area of the brick. This decoration seems to cover the entire surface of the brick, and therefore is more likely to be a kind of graffiti than a signature mark. On the reverse of the brick, along with the two edges of the find where the sides of the object remain intact, a large amount of Roman mortar remains in situ. This mortar is a pale buff-brown colour with large gritty inclusions. Dimensions: length: 136.0mm; width: 199.0mm; thickness: 36.0mm; weight: 1415.0g. A Roman brick fragment with incised decoration (43-410 AD). The find consists of a corner fragment from a large Roman brick, probably a lydion or a pedalis. The tile has been made using an iron-rich clay heavily tempered with grog and quartz; the fabric has not been mixed evenly and these temper... The Romans used square bricks with a thin section (often confused with tiles) that came in a range of standard sizes along with one rectangular tile known as a lydion. Bricks would have been used for flooring, walling and to create stacks beneath the floor for the hypocaust heating system. The invention of mortar was one of the main facilitators behind the architectural innovation witnessed in Ancient Rome. Tile Hand made ROMAN ROMAN ROMAN 43 410 199 136 36 Incomplete 2009-11-24 15:34:10 GREATER LONDON SOUTHWARK BERMONDSEY ROTHERHITHE AND SOUTHWARK POINT( ) From Map TQ37NE TQ5317 29.06.2003 Other chance find Found whilst searching the Thames foreshore. 1 LON Creative Commons Non Commercial Share Alike - The Portable Antiquities Scheme 2009 These records can be reproduced in a non commercial enviroment as long as the original recorder is cited. The Portable Antiquities Scheme info@finds.org.uk No fees are applicable.