Polygonal masonry consists of stones that have five or more face angles, in contrast to Ashlar blocks which have four rectangular ones. [1]
In Greece, Cyclopean masonry was the first type of polygonal masonry. [2] To fit the stones properly to each other, masons would utilize strips of lead to form templates of the already laid blocks, which were then used to fashion the to-be-adjoined ones. [3]
In Italy, polygonal masonry is particularly indicative of the region of Latium, but it occurs also in Etruria, Lucania, Samnium, and Umbria; scholars including Giuseppe Lugli have carried out studies of the technique. [4] [5] Some notable sites that have fortification walls built in this technique include Norba, Signia, Alatri, Boiano, Circeo, Cosa, Alba Fucens, Palestrina, and Terracina. [6] The Porta Rosa of the ancient city of Velia employs a variant of the technique known as Lesbian masonry. [1]