Certain technologies for the extraction, production, and processing of building materials have remained fundamentally unchanged for centuries. In particular, some developing countries still use traditional methods, such as in brick production. On the other hand, the astonishingly precise processing of natural stones, from which the Egyptian pyramids or the buildings of ancient Greece were constructed, continues to puzzle us. Much ancient knowledge and expertise have been lost over time and are being rediscovered – with the history of building materials.