Opus spicatum

Wall in opus spicatum

Opus spicatum, literally "spiked work," is a type of masonry construction used in Roman and medieval times. It consists of bricks, tiles or cut stone laid in a herringbone pattern.

Opus spicatum paving in Trajan's Market, Rome

Its usage was generally decorative and most commonly it was used as a pavement, though it was used as an infill pattern in walls. Unless the elements run horizontally and vertically, it is inherently weak, since the oblique angles of the elements tend to spread the pattern horizontally under compression.

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The herringbone method was used by Filippo Brunelleschi in constructing the Cathedral of Florence (Santa Maria del Fiore)^{[citation needed]}

References

Opus caementicium roman walls