Lime plaster that were sculpted with lime plaster over armatures of reeds and twine. They were made in the pre-pottery neolithic period, around 7200 BC. The fact that these sculptures have lasted so long is a testament to the durability of lime plaster. Lime plaster Lime plaster is a type of plaster composed of sand, water, and lime, usually non-hydraulic hydrated lime (also known as slaked lime, high calcium lime or air lime). Ancient lime plaster often contained horse hair for reinforcement and pozzolan additives to reduce the working time. Traditional non-hydraulic hydrated lime only sets through carbonatation when the plaster is
Mortar (masonry) of either gypsum or lime. Gypsum mortar was essentially a mixture of plaster and sand and was quite soft. In the Indian subcontinent, multiple cement types have been observed in the sites of the Indus Valley Civilization, such as the Mohenjo-daro city-settlement that dates to earlier than 2600 BCE. Gypsum cement that was ""light grey and contained sand, clay, traces of calcium carbonate, and a high percentage of lime"" was used in the construction of wells, drains and on the exteriors of ""important looking buildings"." Bitumen mortar was also used at a lower-frequency, including in the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro.