Polygonal masonry is a technique of stone wall construction. True polygonal masonry is a technique wherein the visible surfaces of the stones are dressed with straight sides or joints, giving the block the appearance of a polygon.[1]

This technique is found throughout the world and sometimes corresponds to the less technical category of Cyclopean masonry.[2]

Places

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Albania

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And others

Crimea

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Easter Island

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Ahu Vinapú

Ecuador

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Finland

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A part of the wall of the Bomarsund Fortress

Georgia

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Greece

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Section of polygonal wall at Delphi

Hungary

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India

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Indonesia

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Iran

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Italy

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Velia, Porta Rosa

In Italy, polygonal masonry is particularly indicative of the region of Latium, but it occurs also in Etruria, Lucania, Samnium, and Umbria; scholars including Giuseppe Lugli have carried out studies of the technique.[3][4] Some notable sites that have fortification walls built in this technique include Norba, Signia, Alatri, Boiano, Circeo, Cosa, Alba Fucens, Palestrina, and Terracina.[5] The Porta Rosa of the ancient city of Velia employs a variant of the technique known as Lesbian masonry.[1]

Japan

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Shuri Castle, Naha

Latvia

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Daugavpils Fortress

Malta

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Mexico

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Montenegro

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Entrance to Stützpunkt Grabovac at the rear of Fort Trašte

Morocco

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Peru

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Sacsayhuamán, Cusco, Perú
 
Pumacocha Archaeological site

Philippines

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Portugal

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Romania

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Iulia Hasdeu Castle

Russia

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Fort Alexander I

Spain

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Sudan

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Sweden

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Syria

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Hosn Suleiman temple
 
Pyramidal tomb in 6th century Bauda, one of the former Dead Cities in northwestern Syria
 
The press-house of Serjilla, Syria

Thailand

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Turkey

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Selimiye Kışlası

United Arab Emirates

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United Kingdom

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United States

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Memorial Quadrangle Gate at Yale

References

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  1. ^ a b G.R.H. Wright (23 November 2009). Ancient Building Technology, Volume 3: Construction (2 Vols). BRILL. pp. 154–. ISBN 90-04-17745-0.
  2. ^ Carmelo G. Malacrino (2010). Constructing the Ancient World: Architectural Techniques of the Greeks and Romans. Getty Publications. pp. 97–. ISBN 978-1-60606-016-2.
  3. ^ Frank, T. 1924. "Roman buildings of the Republic: an attempt to date them from their materials." MAAR 3.
  4. ^ Giuseppe Lugli (1957). La Tecnica Edilizia Romana Con Particolare Riguardo a Roma E Lazio: Testo. 1. Johnson Reprint.
  5. ^ Jeffrey Alan Becker (2007). The Building Blocks of Empire: Civic Architecture, Central Italy, and the Roman Middle Republic. ProQuest. pp. 109–. ISBN 978-0-549-55847-7.
  • P. Gros. 1996. L'architecture romaine: du début du IIIe siècle av. J.-C. à la fin du Haut-Empire. 2 v. Paris: Picard.