Ancient Rome Concrete

When reading of the concrete that the ancient Romans used, and learning of their unique mixture of volcanic ash and slaked lime (“pozzolana”) I find it most interesting that this concrete still proves to be standing in some places today! It is said to be less sturdy than what we use here in America (Andrews, 2012) but no doubt it gave modern civilization the ingenuity to create what we use today.

The Roman Empire is credited with the development of many great achievements. These achievements can still be seen in Rome and throughout the world. The Romans are well known for their aqueduct system and huge colosseum that are still standing today. These monumental building feats would not have been created without the use and knowledge of many different techniques. The use of cement was one of the technologies employed to build these large structures. The utilization of arches was another. Many people associate the idea of arches with the Romans. However, they were not the first people to utilize arches. This paper will concentrate on why the Romans were credited with developing the arch; what they did to improve previous cultures use of arches; and how the Romans used arches to create massive structures that are still standing today.

Another invention is the Julian Calendar. Evan Andrews says “ Many ancient Roman structures like the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum are still standing today thanks to the development of Roman cement and concrete. The Romans first began building with concrete over 2,100 years ago and used it throughout the Mediterranean basin in everything from aqueducts and buildings to bridges and monuments.” This highlights that many of Rome’s great structures were made out of concrete. Another life changing invention was the Julian Calendar.

Concrete is a powdered substance that when combined with water will harden into a solid form. It can be poured, formed, and sculpted, to achieve almost any architectural shape and size. It is a very strong material, which allowed for construction of large buildings and roads. Prior to the invention of concrete, buildings would be built using stones that were heavy,

Concrete was a recent invention which the Romans were still learning how to use. Not knowing exactly how strong the substance was the Romans

First, concrete durable. Concrete is something that will outlive other products up to three times over (“What Makes…”). In addition to durability, concrete is efficient. Concrete can be made with byproducts from power plants, and other aspects of manufacturing. Concrete is primarily made up limestone, the most abundant material on Earth. Above all of this concrete can be recycled. Concrete can be crushed and recycled into another structure or product, reducing the need to mine the limestone for production. Concrete also allows water to pass through which reduces the chance of flash flooding, erosion, and water table depletion as compared to other materials. This is a major check in the sustainability of concrete; the conservation of soil, landscape and ecosystems. Concrete is a very green option when it comes to building

Pozzolana was “a chocolate-coloured volcanic earth originally found near the Greek settlement of Puteoli, and subsequently discovered in vast quantities around Rome.” (Kamm, n.d.). The pozzolana was used to make mortar first but would prove to be the binder for the material that would become concrete. Upon the discovery that the addition of lime and the rubble material mixed with the pozzolana created concrete, the Romans were able to build long-lasting structures with great strength. In combination, the creation of concrete and it the soundness it was able to provide Roman structure and the advancement of the arch enabled Romans to create the domes and circular structures they are most remembered for.

Rome invented something important when it invented concrete. Their concrete was different from that of the Grecian or Etruscan people. This significant discovery, combined with the recognition of the strengths of the arch and its prevalent use in the construction of bridges, aqueducts and buildings, provided many benefits to Rome. The development paths of both concrete and the arch as well as their uses in Roman life are discussed below including an assessment of the importance of each invention to Roman life.

Concrete Many of the Roman structures are still standing today due to the invention of concrete and cement. The Romans first started using concrete over 2,100 years ago. Concrete then was a lot weaker than concrete now, but it is durable. It was made using slaked lime, volcanic ash, and volcanic rocks. The volcanic ash helps the concrete set quickly. Roads and Highways The Roman empire encompassed nearly 1.7 million square miles. The Romans built the most sophisticated road system the ancient

Changes in the ever-growing needs of the Roman society led the Romans to become innovators in architecture. (This feat was also funded by the state system who funded and organized to be spread across the Roman world.) (Cartwright, 2013). The discovery of concrete (a chocolate-colored volcanic earth found near the Greek settlement of Puteoli, in vast quantities), and the development of the arch gave the Romans merit and majesty in expressing their own when it came to architecture and civil engineering. (Kamm, 2017).

All ancient cultures around the world, are Identified with the way in which they choose to build their cities and connecting infrastructure. The Romans seem to have been the king of architecture, especially when, they as a people were able to build a lot of public buildings, which are grand in size and opulence. Many of these structures still exist today, The Colosseum, and Pantheon. But the Romans were able also to build roads, bridges, and aqueducts. All of these things mentioned above were ONLY made possible by two things, Concrete and arches ! Let’s talk about concrete. It was a Roman invention and I have taking a direct quote from our reading to describe what concrete is;

Concrete is the ultimate building block of society; there are a plethora of ways that it has been used. Romans were some of the first, in recorded history, to use it; they used it to build their aqueducts and even the Colosseum. If anything, the Romans were some of the first to make huge developments in concrete, and they were some of the first to actually use concrete on a large scale. America has also used concrete on a large scale, using concrete to build the Hoover Dam and the Grand Coulee Dam. Those examples show how concrete is an incredibly strong and durable building material that has remained standing after all these years and will continue to be the primary

The development of both the arch and concrete have significant roles in the life of Rome, and their use have great results. They showed how the Romans thought and who they believed. Roman concrete was a material used in construction. It was based on hydraulic-setting cement. Roman concrete was different from modern concrete. Roman concrete was durable to its incorporation of volcanic ash preventing cracks from spreading out.

According to Yegul (Accessed 2015), Roman concrete or opus caementicium was developed around 45 BCE. Concrete was used by the Romans as a building material because it converts to a hard surface like a rock when mixed in the right combination of components. It takes three components to make a concrete substance. The three substances are an aggregate such as limestone, a binding agent such as clay or mud, and water.

In this quotation from the author Vitruvius, he explains the process and creation of concrete, emphasizes on its durability and how it can withhold the forces of nature. This new formula had a higher silica content then before, which essentially allowed to concrete to set under water and made it stronger then before.10 Overall, the use of concrete was crucial to construction in ancient Rome because it was extremely durable compared to other materials such as brick, stone, or wood.11 Having a successful and powerful empire was very important to the Roman’s as they believed that without a strong foundation, a strong empire would not be possible.12