Reclaimed Materials

Spolia

A Spolia (Latin: 'spoils'; sing. spolium) is a stone taken from an old structure and repurposed for new construction or decorative purposes.

It is the result of an ancient and widespread practice whereby stone that has been quarried, cut and used in a built structure is carried away to be used elsewhere.

The practice is of particular interest to historians, archaeologists and architectural historians since the gravestones, monuments and architectural fragments of antiquity are frequently found embedded in structures built centuries or millennia later.