ABSTRACT
Mortar is dened as a soft material or paste used as a jointing medium between bricks or masonry blocks which hardens in time. Mortars have been used since antiquity, with clays and bitumen being the earliest examples. The Egyptians used mixtures of sand with lime or gypsum in constructing the pyramids. Later, pozzolans were incorporated with lime mixes to speed up setting rates and improve durability.
