A (Very) Brief History of the Brick

Undoubtedly, you have encountered brick sometime in your life. Bricks are a very common material used for building, block paving, and sometimes as an alternative to traditional pavement. But, many tend to disregard the fact that brick as a material as a rich, interesting history.

The oldest discovered bricks—which were originally made from shaped mud—dated to before 7,500 B.C. and were found in Syria. Other recent findings come from Israel and Turkey; these bricks are dated between 7,000 and 6,395 B.C. The first sun-dried bricks were made in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) in the ancient city of Ur in about 4,000 B.C. The ancient Egyptians and the Indus Valley Civilization utilized mud brick; this fact is evident from the ruins of Buhen, Mohenjo-daro, and Harappa. In pre-modern China, brick-making was considered to be a lowly job, but kiln masters were highly respected. Early descriptions of the production process and glazing techniques used for bricks were found in the Song Dynasty carpenter’s manual, Yingzao Fashi, published in 1103.

Moving on towards Western civilization, the Romans made use of fired bricks. The Roman legions, which operated mobile kilns, actually introduced bricks to many parts of the empire. Interestingly, Roman bricks were often stamped with the mark of the legion that supervised their production. In the 12^th century, bricks from Italy were re-introduced to Northern Germany, where an independent tradition evolved. However, during the Renaissance and the Baroque periods, visible brick walls were considered to be unpopular and the brickwork was often covered with plaster. It was only during the mid-18^th century that visible brick walls regained their popularity. Amusingly, in Victorian London, the famous bright red brick was chosen to make buildings more visible in the heavy fog that caused transport problems.

Brick has a complex, plentiful history. But in order to know where you’ve come from, you have to know where you’ve been, right? Our trained professional experts at Bedrock Industries are ready to bring your architectural dreams come to life. We represent some of the country finest brick masters, including Cloud Ceramics and Florida Brick and Clay. If you are looking to improve the appearance of your Orlando home, apartment, or place of business, please give us a call today at (407)859-1300.