Roman Nails
Nails keep structures and buildings from falling apart. There are very few buildings that do not use nails to keep shelves, sockets and pictures on walls, carpets and floorboards on the floor, and door and window frames in position. The use of the nail is universal.
These nails are all original Roman nails. The wood from Roman buildings has long since decayed, but the nails are still strong enough to be used today. The two shorter nails are 6 1/2 cm and are made out of iron. They are both bent from use, having been subject to the double pressures of being hammered into a resistant surface, and having to support the shelf, light, door or window frame that was being built. The top of each nail is wider than the spike. This prevented the nail from being hammered so hard into the wall that it became lost. It also allowed the builder to have more chance of actually hitting the nail, rather than his / her finger, as the nail has to be held while hammering to guide it into place.
The two longer nails were used for a different purpose. The spikes are 15 cm long in order to penetrate further into the material. They may have been used to hold roof tiles in place, stretching through both tile and roof frame, or to support heavier loads by having the security of more depth to keep them stable.
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Dimensions: Long straight nail length:15.3cm |
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