Perhaps the first Ancient stone buildings that most people could name off the top of their heads would not automatically make them think about buildings with a thin stone veneer. Take Stone Henge in Wiltshire, or the Great Pyramids of Gaza as examples of old buildings or monuments made from large blocks of stone.
Such constructions are remarkable considering how much less technology ancient peoples had at their disposal compared to us. Now the people responsible for Stone Henge may not have had the know how of some of their counterparts in Egypt, China, or the Mayas to use stone veneers, yet erecting such a big monument was no mean feat in itself.
Now ancient people improved their skills as they advanced in technology, and their tools progressed from stone, through to bronze, and finally iron. It would have been really difficult for any kind of advanced stone mason skills with tools made from stone, it must have taken many hours to remove giant stone blocks from quarries. To achieve the natural thin stone veneer look for buildings people had to wait for bronze tools, so that they could cut out thin layers of stone.
To say that the ancients did not have computers to design their buildings, laser precision tools to cut stone, or trucks to transport large quantities of stone they did remarkably well building some of the buildings they did. Just take the Ancient Egyptians for example. The pyramids, and temples they built were often engineering as well as architectural marvels. The Egyptians built things to glorify both their Pharaohs and their gods, so they were designed to last for thousands of years, which by and large they have done. The Great Pyramid of Cheops is a fine example of what the Egyptians could do. It is also the only one of the Seven wonders of the World that has survived to the present day.
When the earliest surviving buildings were made there was no money or writing, so there was no thin stone veneer price. Besides in Ancient Egypt, or amongst the Incas, stone masons carried out work out of a sense of political and more often religious duty than for the expectation of receiving a cash payment. Using a thin stone veneer, or alternatively a layer of plaster became more important once writing systems were developed. The people tasked with writing inscriptions naturally enough preferred flat and smooth surfaces to carve their writing into. Flat walls were also better to paint images onto, especially in temples and tombs.
The Ancient Greeks and Romans also turned themselves into capable architects and builders, plus they benefited from the wider availability of iron tools. The Greeks, and especially the Romans were not only good at building things, they were also quick learners from other cultures. Pagan Greek and Roman temples were some of the best examples of ancient buildings, though very few have survived in their original form. Such temples were either turned into Christian churches, or their stone was used to build churches on different building sites. When that happened some of the finest example of natural thin stone veneer were lost forever. The Greeks and Romans generally paid their stone masons unless they were slaves, or were attached to various temples or cults and were paid in kind.
Such constructions are remarkable considering how much less technology ancient peoples had at their disposal compared to us. Now the people responsible for Stone Henge may not have had the know how of some of their counterparts in Egypt, China, or the Mayas to use stone veneers, yet erecting such a big monument was no mean feat in itself.
Now ancient people improved their skills as they advanced in technology, and their tools progressed from stone, through to bronze, and finally iron. It would have been really difficult for any kind of advanced stone mason skills with tools made from stone, it must have taken many hours to remove giant stone blocks from quarries. To achieve the natural thin stone veneer look for buildings people had to wait for bronze tools, so that they could cut out thin layers of stone.
To say that the ancients did not have computers to design their buildings, laser precision tools to cut stone, or trucks to transport large quantities of stone they did remarkably well building some of the buildings they did. Just take the Ancient Egyptians for example. The pyramids, and temples they built were often engineering as well as architectural marvels. The Egyptians built things to glorify both their Pharaohs and their gods, so they were designed to last for thousands of years, which by and large they have done. The Great Pyramid of Cheops is a fine example of what the Egyptians could do. It is also the only one of the Seven wonders of the World that has survived to the present day.
When the earliest surviving buildings were made there was no money or writing, so there was no thin stone veneer price. Besides in Ancient Egypt, or amongst the Incas, stone masons carried out work out of a sense of political and more often religious duty than for the expectation of receiving a cash payment. Using a thin stone veneer, or alternatively a layer of plaster became more important once writing systems were developed. The people tasked with writing inscriptions naturally enough preferred flat and smooth surfaces to carve their writing into. Flat walls were also better to paint images onto, especially in temples and tombs.
The Ancient Greeks and Romans also turned themselves into capable architects and builders, plus they benefited from the wider availability of iron tools. The Greeks, and especially the Romans were not only good at building things, they were also quick learners from other cultures. Pagan Greek and Roman temples were some of the best examples of ancient buildings, though very few have survived in their original form. Such temples were either turned into Christian churches, or their stone was used to build churches on different building sites. When that happened some of the finest example of natural thin stone veneer were lost forever. The Greeks and Romans generally paid their stone masons unless they were slaves, or were attached to various temples or cults and were paid in kind.