Demolition laws in an archaeological context. Legislation and architectural re-use in the Roman building industry

Ancient laws on demolition have important implications for the discussion of dismantling, salvage and re-use within the Roman building industry. The number of these legal texts related to demolition and re-use that survive demonstrate that architectural recycling was indeed an important and regulated part of Roman building practices. These legal statutes are corroborated by an abundance of archaeological evidence for both the salvage and re-use of building materials; however, this material has rarely, if ever, been studied together. This article aims to correct this neglect. In particular, we will use both textual and archaeological sources as means to reconstruct the existence of a Roman industry of “de-construction” along with its function and organization. Re-use was a legitimate business endeavour and was carefully legislated due to its economic importance and the fact that it was an easily abused component of the Roman building industry. At the same time, we contend that the regulation of re-use by Imperial authorities was not a means of banning the practice but rather a means of increasing supplies of architectural and decorative elements to public projects while ensuring their own profit from the industry.