Rusticated masonry uses rectangular stone blocks to create walls, arches, and buildings. Ashlar masons use various sizes of blocks to create structures, and the blocks are often embellished with carvings. The technique has been used for thousands of years and can be found in ancient buildings worldwide. Freemasons use rusticated blocks as symbols of enlightenment. While the building process is lengthy, rusticated masonry is still used in modern times for large buildings and structures.
Rusticated masonry is a type of building construction using mostly rectangular stone blocks. Using techniques dating back thousands of years, ashlar masons can create walls, arches and buildings through the correct placement and various sizes of rectangular blocks. Rusticated masonry is found in many ancient buildings and still plays an important part in construction in some parts of the world.
The blocks used in ashlar masonry can vary in size; some modern experts refer to any ashlar block with a height of less than 11 inches (27.9 cm) as small or small ashlar. Most ashlar blocks are ground particularly smooth with parallel faces, so that they can be joined firmly without mortar. This type of masonry is often referred to as worked stone, because the faces are sometimes embellished or decorated with carvings.
The origin of the ashlar is not entirely clear; many ancient cultures include early examples of the building technique. The palace of Knossos in Crete, the step pyramid of Djosar in Egypt and Macchu Picchu in Peru all show signs of ashlar construction. The style of the building was appreciated for its stability; the sturdiness of the well-fitted stones provided a strong and formidable structure which, in some cases, lasted nearly 5,000 years.
While some of the most famous examples of ashlar masonry are plain, straight walls, the technique can also be used to create domed or arched structures. By using progressively smaller blocks curved structures can be created. Beehive-shaped tombs called tholoi are structures commonly found in the ruins of ancient civilizations around the Mediterranean, and many were built of ashlar blocks topped with a domed stone.
The mysterious order of Freemasons reveres the rusticated blocks as symbols, using them metaphorically to describe the process of enlightenment. According to Freemason beliefs, a person who has not yet attained enlightenment is similar to a rough-faced block of ashlar, while those who have been enlightened have been ground and carved into a perfect, serviceable, smooth block of ashlar.
Rusticated masonry is still used in modern times, although the exceptionally lengthy building process may put some people off. To achieve an ashlar look without the long and difficult process, some builders place stone veneer over an already built structure. However, for large buildings and buildings, this type of masonry remains an impressive historic choice, combining modern building capabilities with a masonry tradition known from the earliest days of human civilization.
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