Mudbrick

Mudbrick was used for the outer construction of Sumerian ziggurats — some of the world's largest and oldest constructions. Choqa Zanbil, a 13th century BC, Elamite, ziggurat in Iran is similarly constructed from unfired clay bricks.

A Mudbrick is an unfired brick made of clay.

In warm regions with little timber available to fuel a kiln, bricks were generally sun dried. This had the result that their useful lifespan is reduced to around thirty years. Once a building collapsed, new bricks would have to be made and the new structure rebuilt on top of the rubble of the decayed old brick. This phenomenon is the primary factor behind the mounds or tells on which many ancient cities stand.

The earliest use of mudbricks was in the Near East during the Pre-pottery Neolithic B period. The Sumerians used bricks that were flat on the bottom and curved on the top, called plano-convex mudbricks. Some bricks were formed in a square mould and rounded so that the middle was thicker than the ends.

Adobe is a common substitute for the word mudbrick.

Image:RomaniaDanubeDelta MakingMaterialForCOnstructing0003jpg.JPG|Mudbrick is still used today, as seen here in the Danube Delta Image:RomaniaDanubeDelta MakingMaterialForCOnstructing0002jpg.JPG|Mud clay and straw are mixed and pressed into moulds Image:RomaniaDanubeDelta MakingMaterialForCOnstructing0001jpg.JPG|When filled the mould is moved on step to make the next brick Image:RomaniaDanubeDelta MakingMaterialForCOnstructing0004jpg.JPG|The rows of bricks are left to dry in the sun

External links

[Earth Architecture] - A website whose focus is contemporary issues in earth architecture.
[EARTHA : Earth Architecture and Conservation in East Anglia]- British organisation that focuses on the proper maintenance and conservation of earth buildings in a region of the UK that has a long history of building with mud. Very experienced experts are contactable and there are regular demonstrations in the area.

also used today to save energy and is an environmentally safe way to insolate a house.

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