Bavarian Stonmason 1505
By Crissue
14 Jul, 2012
8 likes
going back even earlier, the dress code was similar, and here's some very interesting facts about building with Stone, I found this really interesting....
Stonemasonry is one of the earliest trades in civilisation's history. During the time of the Neolithic Revolution and domestication of animals, people learned how to use fire to create quicklime, plasters, and mortars. They used these to fashion homes for themselves with mud, straw, or stone, and masonry was born.
The Ancients heavily relied on the stonemason to build the most impressive and long lasting monuments to their civilizations. The Egyptians built their pyramids, the civilizations of Central America had their step pyramids, the Persians their palaces, the Greeks their temples, and the Romans their public works and wonders (See Roman Architecture). Among the famous ancient stonemasons is Sophroniscus, the father of Socrates, who was a stone-cutter.
Castle building was an entire industry for the medieval stonemasons. When the Western Roman Empire fell, building in dressed stone decreased in much of Western Europe, and there was a resulting increase in timber-based construction. Stone work experienced a resurgence in the 9th and 10th centuries in Europe, and by the 12th century religious fervour resulted in the construction of thousands of impressive churches and cathedrals in stone across Western Europe.
Comments on this photo
Tuffeau is a marine sedimentary rock which is found in the Loire Valley of France.
Tuffeau's aged appearanceThe Loire Valley formed the floor of a vast sea 90 million years ago. Over the millennia, sediment from the sea floor, comprising fossilized living organisms and sand particles, became compressed to form what is now known as Tuffeau stone.
Mining of Tuffeau stone for construction reached its peak in the 15th century, and the mining techniques used to extract the valued stone created a vast network of caves in the Loire Valley. The caves have been used as dwellings in the past, partly due to the practicality that the indoor temperature is remarkably constant from summer to winter.
Tuffeau's light iridescenceMany of the larger caves are used for growing a wide variety of mushrooms, which are transported daily to the markets in Paris.
A number of buildings in the valley were built from large blocks of Tuffeau stone, including the Château de Beaulieu near Saumur, the Château d'Ussé and the Château de la Motte d'Usseau, and many worker's cottages at Longères.
Tuffeau has a very low density compared with many other rocks, being half as dense as granite, comparable in density with ebony, and only about 10 to 20% heavier than water. Tuffeau has porosity of up to 50%, whereas that of granite is only about 1%. The compressive strength of the stone is a factor of ten to twenty times less than that of granite.
Hi Terra, I found this info on the Tuffeau Stone used in our area, like the Chateau, walls houses in our Vilage, this stone is native to our Region...
Still looking for pics...
14 Jul, 2012
Again enjoyed reading this.
14 Jul, 2012
Yes.. agree with Clarice ..
interesting to read about the Tuffeau stone.
Thank you.
14 Jul, 2012
You're welcome Terra and everyone...
Incidently, on the Road to Saumur, there still exists the Caves that the Rock was excavated from, and many people used to live in these Caves, nowadays they've been renovated into posh Cave dwellings, I'll see if I find Pics to show you...
14 Jul, 2012
Very intersting Sue :)
14 Jul, 2012
Thanks Pix, I found it interesting too, learned quite a lot too...
14 Jul, 2012
You're very welcome, Hb...
20 Jul, 2012
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Fascinating ... amazing achievements
14 Jul, 2012