Page 2 of 13
© Elizabeth Rankin and Amanda Skeet, Faculty of Arts, University of Auckland, 2004.
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Page 2 of 13
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| Read the text below and click on the interactive words to highlight parts of the diagram, then move on to page 3. |
| The Arch I |
| The basic unit of the arcuated system was the arch, which was semi-circular in shape. In this case, the supports did not carry monolithic lintels, but smaller units, wedge-shaped voussoirs, which were constructed over arch-shaped wooden shuttering. Once they were all in place, with the final key stone at the top of the arch, their shape meant that their own weight wedged them more and more tightly together in a dynamic structure, and the shuttering could safely be removed and used to build the next one. |
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© Elizabeth Rankin and Amanda Skeet, Faculty of Arts, University of Auckland, 2004.
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