08-12-2009, 09:23 PM
I would think that the only way of getting anything about costs of various things is from the edict of Diocletian on prices of commodities, however this is throwing things into the third century and then he did reduce things for his laws were made in times of crisis.
Where you mention mosaics I have a piece from a Villa here in the North of England which is only three rows of tesserae, however they are fitted into pitch that surrounds plaster completely. It is about 5 inches long X 2 inches wide X 1 inch thick and it has 2 rows of pink and one of black, well 14 pink and 4 black but they are all set in pitch that goes right around the plaster which comes to the top of the tesserae pieces.
The pitch is only around 1mm thick but where it is on the top of the plaster it comes to the top level of the 1/2 inch square bits in between all of them as well.
Where you mention mosaics I have a piece from a Villa here in the North of England which is only three rows of tesserae, however they are fitted into pitch that surrounds plaster completely. It is about 5 inches long X 2 inches wide X 1 inch thick and it has 2 rows of pink and one of black, well 14 pink and 4 black but they are all set in pitch that goes right around the plaster which comes to the top of the tesserae pieces.
The pitch is only around 1mm thick but where it is on the top of the plaster it comes to the top level of the 1/2 inch square bits in between all of them as well.
Brian Stobbs
