Dura-Europos: Crossroads of Antiquity

Looks like some or one of these tiles may now be on show at Mount Scopos in Israel, but previously to that, there were tiles on show at the Dura-Europos: Crossroads of Antiquity exhibition in the US. See the article here: http://www.bc.edu/offices/pubaf/news/2011/duraeuropos01272011.html

And here's a tile (which is clay with a layer of alabaster) from the ceiling of a 3rd century building :


It shows Heliodoros, an actuarius, Dura-Europos, L7, House of Scribes.

West Offices, York

West Offices is a site currently (July 2011) being dug in the centre of York. Of interest to this blog are the tile finds, including 9th Hispana tiles and circular pila tiles. Here's a few pix, courtesy of Duncan Stirk's flickr album:

9th Hispana tile stamp:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dstirk/5884302627/

The almost regulation hobnail imprint tile:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dstirk/5877933554/

Circular pila tile:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dstirk/5860056121/

And here's a brief news report on the dig's open day in June:

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9107142.Roman_findings_go_on_show/

And a bit more information about the site over time:

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/features/features/6336299.City_of_York_Council_s_new_HQ_at_West_Offices/

Housestead Roman fort - the grandest station

Housesteads, a major fort on Hadrian's Wall has recently been published and is available as a 2 volume free download here:

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/housesteads-roman-fort/

Volume two has a brick and tile report, so it's well worth a look for brick fans :) It can be found on pages 358 to 362.

The Rise and Decline of Guilds

A facinating document from the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers, about the history of guilds, with particular reference to tilers and bricklayers:

The Rise and Decline of Guilds .. by Tom Hoffman

The Pevensey Bricks

A great article by Miles Russell about the fake HON AVG ANDRIA tile stamps, amongst other fakes by Charles Dawson (yes, he of Piltdown Man fame!). The stamp can be seen on the tile at the bottom left of this picture from Miles' site.

http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/caah/landscapeandtownscapearchaeology/piltdown_man_k.html

It's a Brickfielder, cobber

Whilst looking for information on red brick dust, I came across a reference to a Brickfielder. Quoted in the Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911, it is:

... a term used in Australia for a hot scorching wind blowing from the interior, where the sandy wastes, bare of vegetation in summer, are intensely heated by the sun. This hot wind blows strongly, often for several days at a time, defying all attempts to keep the dust down, and parching all vegetation ...

Full entry at: http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Brickfielder

Weatheronline.co.uk illuminates further:

The hot northerly wind [in Australia] blew across the Brickfields, formerly so called, a district of Sydney and carried clouds of reddish dust from the brickworks over the nascent city - thus the name: Brickfielder. However, another - agricultural - explanation comes from the hot and dry character of the northerly wind itself, turning the surface of the already dry soil hard as bricks. Therefore, by confusion, every dry, hot wind from the north might be called a Brickfielder today. The Brickfielder is related to the Argentinian Zonda wind.

Full entry: http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/wind/Brickfielder.htm

And just for good measure, a picture of some preserved brickwork buildings in Sydney!:

Another use for bricks: Red Brick Dust

Whilst watching the film The Skeleton Key (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397101/) I noticed that red brick dust was used to protect a room or house from those who would harm, as part of a voodoo ritual. This got me wondering if:

a) it really was a voodoo ritual (since we're dealing with Hollywood, aka the producers of Braveheart)
and
b) if so, how did it come about.

Unfortunately, I've only got access to the internet on this Sunday afternoon, but I did pick up a few likely sounding snippets:

The first organized voodoo ceremony in New Orleans is said to have taken place in an abandoned brickyard on Dumaine Street. It was probably presided over by Sanite Dede, the first of the great voodoo queens. (Voodoo was a matriarchy. The witch doctors and kings paled in comparison to the strong queens, always free women of color, never slaves, who reigned over the rituals). Repeated police raids on the brickyard drove the cultists out t0 Bayou St. John and Lake Pontchartrain ... Superstitious Creoles scrubbed their front stoops with brick dust to ward off curses
http://users.erols.com/irene/voodoo.htm

As usual, anything to do with brickyards, and we're into shady dealings of one kind or another! Though brick dust being used to ward off curses is hinting that brick has protective properties is rather nice.

Red Brick Dust, also known as Brick Dust, Red Dust, Red Powder or Reddening derives from the ancient use of red ochre clay for sacred purposes. For protection, sprinkle Red Brick Dust across the doorstep of your home. For money, drawing mix Red Brick Dust with cinnamon powder and brown sugar into water and scrub your doorstep inward for quick and continuous cash
http://www.indioproducts.com/webstore/product_info.php?products_id=7746

So there's Red Brick Dust for sale on the Internet ... I knew I'd missed a trick somewhere :-) My doorstep is gunning for a right scrubbing with brick dust plus cinnamon and brown sugar, and I can at least supply the brick dust for free!

And here is another supplier, who is obviously a wiccan:

http://forestgrove.wordpress.com/page/6/

But it was the reference to red ochre that got me really interested. It's known in prehistoric graves for examples, and there's a reference to a particular article (Red Ochre and Human Evolution: A Case for Discussion [and Comments and Reply] Ernst E. Wreschner, Ralph Bolton, Karl W. Butzer, Henri Delporte, Alexander Häusler, Albert Heinrich, Anita Jacobson-Widding, Tadeusz Malinowski, Claude Masset, Sheryl F. Miller, Avraham Ronen, Ralph Solecki, Peter H. Stephenson, Lynn L. Thomas and Heinrich Zollinger Current Anthropology, Vol. 21, No. 5 (Oct., 1980), pp. 631-644 ), first page here: http://www.jstor.org/pss/2741829 Definitely worth looking at the rest of the paper, when I get time to go to the University library some time. Meanwhile, there's some further information on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochre

So if red ochre isn't easily available, may be red brick dust will do. I'll go with that any time!