The ancient Romans created incredibly strong and durable structures that still exist 2,000 years later. What is their secret?
Engineers in ancient Rome were true masters of the construction trade. They created very strong and durable structures, among which the Pantheon or “Temple of All Gods” stands out, which has remained intact even after 2,000 years. Scientists believe that the reason lies in the use of a very durable building material used by the Romans – this is the so-called pozzolanic concrete, writes ScienceAlert.
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One of the best preserved structures from the Ancient Roman period is the Pantheon, built in Rome between 118 and 128 AD. This temple holds the record for the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.
Scientists believe that the secret to the strength and durability of ancient Roman structures lies in the fact that the Romans used pozzolan, a mixture of volcanic ash and lime, to create incredibly durable concrete. If it is mixed with water, a very strong building material is obtained.
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found in a recent study that the way they mix their ingredients also affects the durability of concrete. According to Admir Masik of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, slaked lime is used to create pozzolanic concrete. The limestone is first heated at high temperatures to produce a caustic powder – quicklime or calcium oxide. When quicklime is mixed with water, slaked lime or calcium hydroxide is obtained and is less caustic. According to the theory, it was this slaked lime that the ancient Romans mixed with pozzolana.
But scientists analyzed ancient Roman concrete, which was about 2,000 years old, and found fragments of poorly mixed lime in the concrete composition, and the lime fragments found in ancient concrete samples did not match, according to the scientists’ analysis. It depends on the creation method.
The scientists concluded that Roman concrete was most likely made by mixing quicklime with pozzolan and water at extremely high temperatures. This process resulted in the formation of lime lumps, either alone or mixed with slaked lime.
“The advantages of this mixture are. First, it allows stronger chemicals to be used when the entire concrete is heated to high temperatures, and second, this method allows you to form concrete faster, which has an important role in accelerating the construction of structures,” says Masik.
Another key advantage of this concrete-forming method, the scientists say, is that the lime chips help damaged concrete repair itself. When cracks form in the concrete and water gets in, it reacts with the lime to form a mortar that dries up and hardens, which glues the crack together so it doesn’t grow any further. This explains why Roman concrete, derived from structures that have been at sea for 2,000,000 years, is well preserved.
Focus I have already written about how lost ancient Roman roads continue to affect the modern world. Although many parts of the road have disappeared, the old routes have an inexplicable impact on the economy of the regions today.
same Focus He wrote that scientists discovered the secret of making wine in ancient Rome with the help of 1500-year-old amphorae. A new method for the analysis of ancient wine decanters has revealed the preparation features of this drink.
Source: Focus
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