Anyone who has delved into Roman archaeology understands the importance of brickstamps as an archaeological tool. Properly decoded, brickstamps have much to tell us about both the construction industry and the chronology of monuments in and around ancient Rome. Rome has enjoyed centuries of detailed archaeological investigation combined with the study of related texts. Constantinople is another story. Considerably less of its ancient core has been excavated, many of its standing buildings have not been thoroughly studied, and the identification and (...) chronology of many of its monuments continue to elude scholars. (shrink)