Roman Concrete

After perfecting the formula for this concrete, they had achieved a cement that could help construct durable buildings. By laying the concrete between bricks and then covering the facade of the building with marble slabs, the Romans made well constructed buildings that gave the appearance of pure marble (Connolly).

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.

The Romans are known for their civil and military architecture all around their empire. The Romans invented several architecture and engineering structures. They developed the arch, the dome, the Roman concrete, and the pavement. The pavement was a structure that is used to solve some of the issues they found to build the net of roads along their empire. They needed durable roads that would last a long time and support heavy loads. The basic structure of the pavement is a lower layer close to the ground that is called the sub base. It was made out of gravel. Above that layer there is another layer which is the base. It is made out of sand. On top of that there were pieces of stone that were cut into a square or rectangular

Aqueducts were and still are beautiful architectural structures that proved very useful in Ancient Rome. These structures were built to last, and the arches were made out of materials like brick, stone, and concrete. The tunnels and pipes were made of lead, ceramic, and stone.

One of the greatest technological changes that the Romans came up with was concrete. Concrete served as many proposes in Ancient Rome, just as it does today. Concrete was used to build aqueduct as previously stated, but also it was used to build house, bathhouses, and markets, really any structure in Rome used concrete. The Pantheon was then a Roman temple which still is standing and is used today as a church more than two thousand years later. Researchers had spent years to try to understand how these structures had been standing for so long compared to modern day concrete that does not last anywhere close to that amount of time. They figured out that it had been the volcanic ash they would use in their concrete mix, mixed with the sea

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

As you can imagine, the arch opened the door to a great many changes in structural design. The Romans utilized it in their homes and in their public buildings. It found its way into bridge design, as well. Yet, the arch alone does not explain the amazing advancements made in Roman architecture. Concrete also play a huge part in shaping Roman construction. As such, it is also important to understand exactly what concrete

Cement is made from a mixture of limestone, sandstone, ash, chalk, iron, and clay. Researchers discovered the Roman concrete contained aluminum tobermorite, a rare mineral that adds extra strength. Cement was used by plebeians because they were the farmers, craftsmen, laborers, and soldiers of ancient Rome.

As Rome conquered new cities, they learned new things and applied what they learned to create many architectures. They learned how to create concrete of high quality, which was a key component to construct amazing architectures like the arch. These constructions and the arches were glorious and robust. They survived through time, and are admired today. But what made their concrete and arches so special?

The Romans used arches in many of their buildings, such as their temples, palaces, amphitheatres (most famously the Colosseum). The arch allowed Roman architects to build larger and more inventive structures that would influence modern architecture. It also allowed the Romans to establish a series of sewers and aqueducts. The Romans also built a complex network of sewers, some of which are still in use today. These sewers allowed for a more sanitary disposal of waste as opposed to the previous method of dumping it wherever one sees fit. The sewers would carry waste away from the city and into a nearby river. When contaminated water became a problem as a result of the city’s refuse entering the water supply, the Romans built the aqueducts. The aqueducts carried clean, drinkable water to cities all across the Roman empire. The construction of these civilization-saving structures would not have been possible without the innovation that is the Roman

Roman arches are of great importance, not only to Rome but to the world as a whole. The arch was not invented by the Romans, as arches have been used in cultures far predating the Romans; however, the Romans did find a way to perfect the arch. Before the Romans, arches were used to support relatively small amounts of weight, such as in storerooms, these arches limited the scale of buildings they supported. The Romans however used arches to support immense amounts of weight. The reason for the arches newfound strength lies not with the shape of the arch, but within the material used to construct it. Through the invention of concrete, Romans were able to construct arches that would hold the weight of structures such as the aqueduct, which provided water to entire cities. Soon, several cultures adopted the Roman arch to support their own

Starts off by telling us about roman sculpture, but further explains to us the importance of the arch and concrete that would set apart the Roman’s “domestic architecture, public architecture, and civil engineering.”  Ultimately the Romans would use both the arch and concrete to make for bigger, and more stable structures. These structures would last longer and had the best designs added to them to aid them in the creation of the arch. The Roman structure can still be seen today and looked back on to be marveled. The Roman use of concrete and the arch were truly genius designs that have survived and faced the test of time.

The resultant aggregate was very strong and durable as the numerous examples of structures constructed using it that exist even into the present age attests. The importance of the use of concrete by the Romans cannot be understated. Concrete allowed Roman engineers to create great commercial structures that would not otherwise have been possible for example the port of Caesarea which employed under water concrete technology on a large scale. In addition to the system of aqueducts, concrete technology allowed Roman engineers to create networks of dams, canals and cisterns that played a vital role in irrigation and feeding Rome’s populace. Rome also constructed a number of military installations including walls and strategic garrisons which helped to defend her citizens.

In Greek architecture stone and wood was used causing the buildings to have a rigid appearance. In the 200s B.C. Roman architects developed concrete made of stone fragments and mortar. They could now make shapes and do designs that would be too heavy or awkward to use stone; this changed the scene of architecture. Where Greeks used wood covered in tiles for their ceilings, causing a fire hazard, the Romans used concrete to eliminate this issue. Rome is famous for conquering many lands in it’s time. These lands had colorful marble that could be used for decorating buildings. Pink granite could be found in Egypt and white marble in Greece as well as other colors from North Africa and Euboea in the Aegean Sea. With these proper materials the Romans could now expand upon the types of buildings built by the Greeks and find new types of buildings unique to their