IIRC correctly from a visit to a Roman site in Jordan, the Romans used thin lead sheets between the segments of tall columns (in temples etc). This allowed the

IIRC correctly from a visit to a Roman site in Jordan, the Romans used thin lead sheets between the segments of tall columns (in temples etc). This allowed the columns to flex slightly. The guide demonstrated this by inserting a coin between two segments, and you could see the coin moving very slightly up and down as the apparently immobile column moved.