Two of several tile kilns stand in today’s Liebrüti district. In the 4th century AD architectural ceramics were produced here as part of a large-scale operation serving the whole town. The tile yard was probably run by soldiers of the Legio I Martia (the first legion of Mars); several tiles and floor slabs were found throughout Augusta Raurica bearing the manufacturing stamp of this legion.
The tiles and slabs were first shaped in clay and air-dried. They were then fired in a kiln. You can still see the remaining tiles, so-called «imbrex» tiles, from the last firing process carried out in the combustion chamber. The tiles produced here were shipped down the River Rhine as far as Strasbourg in France and up the River Aar as far as Bienne in present-day Canton Berne.