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Architecture

The roof

A Roman tile roof comprised of two tile types: a flat tile (tegula) and a curved tile (imbrex).
The curved tiles lay on the butt joints of the flat tiles so that no water could penetrate under the tiles.
The finish of the lowest tile row, the eaves, was formed by either a fixed mortared curved tile or, not quite as common, a third tile type, the antefix (antefixus).
This type of Roman roofing is regarded as typical and there is much evidence of this, also in the Villa Borg.

 

The walls

Wattle and daub walls were already known in the Stone Ages and in Borg there is evidence of them in the previous Celtic farm.
A wooden beam framework housed wattle of twigs clad with a mixture of clay and straw.
As soon as the clay was dry it was possible to paint over it.

The Roman stone walls in Borg comprised of two shells and the interspace was filled with small stones and debris.
Mortar held everything together.

The wall outer could be plastered and then painted or decorated with a simple joint line:
Lines scratched into the plaster and partly painted in red gave the impression that the stonework was even in appearance.
Inside, the walls were plastered and often colourfully painted.
The plaster was still fresh and damp when it was painted whereby the colourful murals lasted longer.
Murals of this type are today known as frescoes after the Italian “fresco” (fresh).