The stones of Roman York

Economic geology is normally regarded as a modern discipline, yet examination of the use of stone in the Roman fortress and city of Eburacum, now known as York, suggests that the Romans had more than a casual knowledge of the sources and properties of stone. Millstone Grit was preferred for load-bearing situations, whilst the Lower Magnesian Limestone provided the bulk of basic building stone. Other stones indicate the far-flung trading connections of the Empire, ranging north to the frontier zone of Hadrian's Wall and south-eastwards to another distant frontier, that of Egypt.