Earthen Empire: Earth and Turf Building in the Roman North-West

This project rethinks Roman provincial architecture. Combining the expertise of archaeologists, micromorphologists, architects and engineers, it investigates two materials neglected in studies of Roman architecture, especially in the northern provinces: earth and turf. A vast swathe of the Roman population built and lived in structures in these materials and yet there exists no study examining the architecture and construction of these buildings, their spread or timeframe. By re-analysing archaeological datasets this project will change our understanding of Roman building and contribute historically tested data to the recent boom in studies of the potential and sustantability of contemporary earth construction.