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The Pantheon in Rome is an example of Roman concrete construction. Caesarea harbour: an example of underwater Roman concrete technology on a large scale. Roman concrete, also called opus caementicium, was used in construction in ancient Rome. Like its modern equivalent, Roman concrete was based on a hydraulic-setting cement added to an aggregate.
Calcium is a binding agent in Roman concrete, which makes it remarkably strong. Figuring out where it came from was the key to solving this architectural mystery.
Roman concrete, or opus caementicium, incorporated volcanic ash, making it incredibly durable. Structures like the Pantheon and aqueducts stand as testaments to its strength. Image credits ...
Now, scientists think they’ve found a key reason why some Roman concrete has held up structures for thousands of years: The ancient material has an unusual power to repair itself.
It is a form of Roman concrete (opus caementicium), the main difference being the addition of small pieces of broken pot, including amphorae, tiles or brick, instead of other aggregates. [1] Its main advantage over opus caementicium was that it is waterproof, the reason for its widespread use in Roman baths , aqueducts, cisterns and any ...
Roman building ingenuity extended over bridges, aqueducts, and covered amphitheatres. Their sewerage and water-supply works were remarkable and some systems are still in operation today. The only aspect of Roman construction for which very little evidence survives is the form of timber roof structures, none of which seem to have survived intact.
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Aluminum-substituted tobermorite is understood to be a key ingredient responsible for the longevity of ancient undersea Roman concrete.The volcanic ash that Romans used for construction of sea walls contained phillipsite, and an interaction with sea water caused the crystalline structures in the concrete to expand and strengthen, making that material substantially more durable than modern ...