Since the first humans began to settle down as an agricultural society at the very dawn of civilization, continuing for thousands of years until the middle of the 19th century, only five mineral binders were used to create plasters and mortars: clay, gypsum, lime, naturally hydraulic lime, natural and Roman cements. In previous articles, we’ve singled out each binder separately considering their historical use, chemistry and manufacturing. However, in this article, I’ll attempt to provide a practical overview, showing how they’re still used today.