2015/01/01 by Lukas Nickel · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Engineering · #Chinese history and philosophy #Eurasian Exchange Networks #Emperor #Brick #China #Context (archaeology) #Architecture #Ancient history #Engineering #Archaeology #Architectural engineering #History
paper · doi:10.3406/arasi.2015.1883
openalex publication_date 2015/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Although ceramic building materials had been known in East Asia from about 3000, it was only from the late 3rd century BCE onwards that Chinese builders began using fired bricks for building walls and ceilings. Mass-produced fired bricks were introduced during the construction of the tomb of the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, and craftsmen discovered the technologies necessary to erect bonded walls, barrel vaults and domes over the following centuries. This text traces the emergence and development of brick architecture in China between the 3rd century BCE and the 2nd century CE, and places the development in the wider Asian context. It suggests that even if bricks and brick building technologies had been known in other parts of Eurasia earlier than in China, Chinese craftsmen discovered the material and the technologies independently.