rammed earth

or pisé de terre

Building material made by compacting and drying a stiff mixture of clay, sand or other aggregate, and water. It has been used by many civilizations. The most durable of the earth-building forms, it is formed into building blocks (see adobe) or rammed within removable wooden forms in layers or lifts to construct walls. China's Erligang (c. 1600 BC) is an example of a rammed-earth fortification; it covers an area of 1.2 sq mi (3.2 sq km) and may have taken 10,000 people more than 12 years to build.

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