Opus spicatum

Opus spicatum paving in Trajan's Market, Rome.

Wall in opus spicatum.

Opus spicatum, literally "spiked work," is a type of masonry construction used in Roman and medieval times. It consists of bricks, tiles or cut stone laid in a herringbone pattern.

Uses

Its usage was generally decorative and most commonly it was used as a pavement, though it was used as an infill pattern in walls. Unless the elements run horizontally and vertically, it is inherently weak, since the oblique angles of the elements tend to spread the pattern horizontally under compression.

Firebacks

Fireplace at Usk Castle

Herringbone work, particularly in stone, is also used to make firebacks in stone hearths. Acidic flue gases tend to corrode lime mortar, so a finely-set herringbone could remain intact with a minimum of mortar used. Usk Castle has several fine examples.

Examples

The herringbone method was used by Filippo Brunelleschi in constructing the Cathedral of Florence (Santa Maria del Fiore).

Herringbone brickwork was also a feature of Gothic Revival architecture.

See also

• Roman concrete - Opus caementicium
• Roman architecture

References

Opus caementicium roman walls