6 ms·

Just wanted to share that in my country (Spain) and more concretely in my area (rural part of Catalonia) we have a building technique called “Pedra Seca” litera

Just wanted to share that in my country (Spain) and more concretely in my area (rural part of Catalonia) we have a building technique called “Pedra Seca” literal translation is “Dry Stone”. It basically involves building stuff with just rocks, nothing more. It’s still in use mostly in agricultural fields. Here are a few examples: https://dd9de8c7b7.cbaul-cdnwnd.com/b5fbcf0e77b7b72ef95acd629fde517c/200000077-a34bfa4463/pedraseca.jpg https://dd9de8c7b7.cbaul-cdnwnd.com/b5fbcf0e77b7b72ef95acd62... https://static1.ara.cat/clip/98e3619e-8dd2-4c0b-828c-254a62ed40bd_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg https://static1.ara.cat/clip/98e3619e-8dd2-4c0b-828c-254a62e... The google search: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=584083287&hl=en-es&q=pedra+seca&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwisk-Gy9d6CAxVEQ6QEHeE1B64Q0pQJegQICxAB&biw=393&bih=659&dpr=3 https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=58408328...

adhesive_wombat 3y ago
Dry stone walling is also very common in the UK. It's a complex and now expensive skill, but a properly-built (this bit is key) wall will stay put for well over a hundred years because the rocks can shift a little rather then cracking the structure as temperatures change and water drains right out of them. It's also very locally distinctive because the shape of the stones and therefore the wall layout and texture depends on the stones you naturally have nearby. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_stone#/media/File%3ADry_stone_fences_in_the_Yorkshire_Dales%2C_England.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_stone#/media/File%3ADry_st...
- fullspectrumdev 3y ago
  Very common in rural Ireland, and having such a wall repaired or made is either going to cost you nothing or a LOT of money.
  - HPsquared 3y ago
    As with many of the best things in life, they are either free or very expensive.
    - _a_a_a_ 3y ago
      Sex? :) (edit: no, that was not an offer, sorry)
      - adhesive_wombat 3y ago
        It's the opposite really, because you're trying to get your rocks on, not off.
        _a_a_a_ 3y ago
        Since you mention it, let's discuss hardcore https://hintonswaste.co.uk/news/what-is-hardcore/ https://hintonswaste.co.uk/news/what-is-hardcore/ (SFW)
- PullJosh 3y ago
  Completely unrelated, but are you the adhesive_wombat I would listen to on SoundCloud when I was younger?
  - adhesive_wombat 3y ago
    No, it's just a random adjective-noun pair used last time I restarted my aaccount!
imp0cat 3y ago
It's very common in Croatia, too.
- arbuge 3y ago
  And Malta: https://www.google.com/search?q=malta+rubble+wall https://www.google.com/search?q=malta+rubble+wall There they are called rubble walls ("hajt tas-sejjieh" in Maltese). Seems pretty common in Mediterranean countries.
  - imp0cat 3y ago
    Thank you, there is a great explainer in those search results: https://environmentalmalta.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/IRMCo-Our-Ancestral-Country-Allies-The-Rubble-Walls.pdf https://environmentalmalta.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/IR...
Biganon 3y ago
In Switzerland as well. "Mur en pierre sèche".
simon_acca 3y ago
I recently witnessed something similar dating back to pre-Inca times in the archeological city of Quilmes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-6DnSeACUPUUskeJJIuB9wIXvN5zt1Rf https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-6DnSeACUPUUskeJJIuB... We have them in Italy too btw, search for “muretti a secco”.
kinow 3y ago
Interesting! I am living in Catalonia now, but in Barcelona. I haven't seen (or paid attention) to a wall like that. Will pay more attention and try to find some nearby. Thanks!
- bibanez 3y ago
  You won't find them in the city haha. That said, Catalonia is a very beautiful place and I encourage you to visit its rural landscapes, like Montserrat, Rupit and Viladrau (and of course, all of the Pyrenees)! Also in the coast I love Tossa de Mar and Sant Martí d'Empúries, near L'Escala.
jlevers 3y ago
I rode through a huge area filled with these sorts of walls somewhere wayyy down a dirt road in rural central Mexico, sorta near Zacatecas. It looked like it was once a vineyard, or something like that...I'd never seen walls that looked this way before. Really beautiful. I had no idea that it was originally a European thing.
pier25 3y ago
I'm from Mallorca and this technique is also alive there. We call these "marjades" for the terraces and the walls themselves are called "marges". https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge

adhesive_wombat 3y ago

Dry stone walling is also very common in the UK. It's a complex and now expensive skill, but a properly-built (this bit is key) wall will stay put for well over a hundred years because the rocks can shift a little rather then cracking the structure as temperatures change and water drains right out of them. It's also very locally distinctive because the shape of the stones and therefore the wall layout and texture depends on the stones you naturally have nearby. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_stone#/media/File%3ADry_stone_fences_in_the_Yorkshire_Dales%2C_England.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_stone#/media/File%3ADry_st...

fullspectrumdev 3y ago
Very common in rural Ireland, and having such a wall repaired or made is either going to cost you nothing or a LOT of money.
- HPsquared 3y ago
  As with many of the best things in life, they are either free or very expensive.
  - _a_a_a_ 3y ago
    Sex? :) (edit: no, that was not an offer, sorry)
    - adhesive_wombat 3y ago
      It's the opposite really, because you're trying to get your rocks on, not off.
      - _a_a_a_ 3y ago
        Since you mention it, let's discuss hardcore https://hintonswaste.co.uk/news/what-is-hardcore/ https://hintonswaste.co.uk/news/what-is-hardcore/ (SFW)
PullJosh 3y ago
Completely unrelated, but are you the adhesive_wombat I would listen to on SoundCloud when I was younger?
- adhesive_wombat 3y ago
  No, it's just a random adjective-noun pair used last time I restarted my aaccount!

imp0cat 3y ago

It's very common in Croatia, too.

arbuge 3y ago
And Malta: https://www.google.com/search?q=malta+rubble+wall https://www.google.com/search?q=malta+rubble+wall There they are called rubble walls ("hajt tas-sejjieh" in Maltese). Seems pretty common in Mediterranean countries.
- imp0cat 3y ago
  Thank you, there is a great explainer in those search results: https://environmentalmalta.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/IRMCo-Our-Ancestral-Country-Allies-The-Rubble-Walls.pdf https://environmentalmalta.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/IR...

Biganon 3y ago

In Switzerland as well. "Mur en pierre sèche".

simon_acca 3y ago

I recently witnessed something similar dating back to pre-Inca times in the archeological city of Quilmes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-6DnSeACUPUUskeJJIuB9wIXvN5zt1Rf https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-6DnSeACUPUUskeJJIuB... We have them in Italy too btw, search for “muretti a secco”.

kinow 3y ago

Interesting! I am living in Catalonia now, but in Barcelona. I haven't seen (or paid attention) to a wall like that. Will pay more attention and try to find some nearby. Thanks!

bibanez 3y ago
You won't find them in the city haha. That said, Catalonia is a very beautiful place and I encourage you to visit its rural landscapes, like Montserrat, Rupit and Viladrau (and of course, all of the Pyrenees)! Also in the coast I love Tossa de Mar and Sant Martí d'Empúries, near L'Escala.

jlevers 3y ago

I rode through a huge area filled with these sorts of walls somewhere wayyy down a dirt road in rural central Mexico, sorta near Zacatecas. It looked like it was once a vineyard, or something like that...I'd never seen walls that looked this way before. Really beautiful. I had no idea that it was originally a European thing.

pier25 3y ago

I'm from Mallorca and this technique is also alive there. We call these "marjades" for the terraces and the walls themselves are called "marges". https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge