The ancient Romans created incredibly strong and durable structures that still exist 2,000 years later. What’s their secret?
The engineers of ancient Rome were true masters of construction. They created very strong and durable structures, among which the Pantheon or “Temple of all Gods” stands out, which survived intact even after 2 thousand years. Scientists believe that the reason lies in the use of a very strong building material used by the Romans – this is the so-called pozzolanic concrete. ScienceAlert.
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One of the best preserved structures from the Ancient Roman era is the Pantheon, which was built in Rome between AD 118 and 128. This temple holds the record for the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.
Scientists believe the secret to the strength and durability of ancient Roman structures lies in the fact that the Romans used pozzolana, a blend of volcanic ash and lime to create incredibly strong concrete. If they are mixed with water, a very strong building material is obtained.
Photo: Wikipedia
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a recent study found that the methods of mixing its components also affected the strength of concrete. According to Admir Masik of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, slaked lime is used to create pozzolanic concrete. Limestone is first heated to high temperatures to produce a caustic powder – quicklime or calcium oxide. When quicklime is mixed with water, it results in slaked lime or calcium hydroxide and is less caustic. According to the theory, it was this slaked lime that the ancient Romans mixed with pozzolana.
But the scientists analyzed the ancient Roman cement, which is about 2000 years old, and found poorly mixed lime pieces in the composition of the concrete. According to the scientists’ analysis, the lime pieces found in the ancient cement samples do not match to the method of its creation.
Scientists concluded that Roman concrete was most likely produced by mixing quicklime with pozzolan and water at extremely high temperatures. This process took place alone or in addition to mixing with slaked lime, obtaining lumps of lime.
Photo: Wikipedia
“The benefits of this mixing are as follows. First, when all concrete is heated to high temperatures, it allows for the use of stronger chemicals, and second, this method allows concrete to be created faster, which it also has an important role in accelerating the construction of structures,” says Masik.
Another major benefit of this method of creating concrete, scientists say the lime chunks help damaged concrete repair itself. When cracks form in the concrete and water gets in, it reacts with the lime to form a mortar which dries and hardens, and this glues the crack together so it doesn’t grow any further. This explains why Roman concrete from structures that have been in the sea for 2,000,000 years has been well preserved.
Focus already wrote about how the disappeared ancient Roman roads they continue to influence the modern world. Although many sections of the road have disappeared, the old routes today have an incalculable impact on the economy of the regions.
Same Focus wrote about what scientists had discovered the secret to making wine in ancient Rome with 1500 year old amphorae. A new method for analyzing ancient wine jugs has revealed the features of the preparation of this drink.
