What would this little 'tool' be ?

[kronckew]

Any Masons out there?

P.s. - Dha spines have similar crosses and bars decorating some.

I've been thinking Roman for this item... Very little info on small disposable ancient tools like this.

P.p.s. - Nails work too, over shorter distances or on floors. The mortar is quite stiff after the next brick is placed on top and pounded down. This item is indeed way too light for a plumb bob.

You go back later with a semicircular tool to point up & smooth the joints into a concave profile (and fill in the holes). This is done to allow rainwater to run off the join, instead if sitting in the groove, other , including more decorative, profiles are OK for non weathered interior walls.

[kronckew]

Heck, could even be an oyster shucking knife, here's some that were made earlier (Romans ate tons of oysters ).

p.s.- I hate raw oysters! I hear though, that Letra 'C' stout goes good with them. even better without the oysters!

[Rick]

Originally Posted by kronckew

Heck, could even be an oyster shucking knife, here's some that were made earlier (Romans ate tons of oysters ).

p.s.- I hate raw oysters! I hear though, that Letra 'C' stout goes good with them. even better without the oysters!

Raw oysters are great...until you get a bad one.
That material looks a lot like re bar Wayne.

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by Rick

Raw oysters are great...until you get a bad one.
That material looks a lot like re bar Wayne.

I must have had a bad one. I do like oriental oyster sauce, the version made with real oysters.

Anyway, the Romans used concrete. The Parthenon in Rome has the largest unsupported concrete dome roof in the world made 2 millennia ago, we can barely get a concrete building to last a few decades.

The Roman Oyster Shuckers are so old the blades have been replaced 4 time and the handles three.

Anyway I did not say when 'earlier' they were made.