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.
Many buildings and structures still standing today, such as bridges, reservoirs and aqueducts, were built with this material, which attests to both its versatility and its durability. Its strength was sometimes enhanced by the incorporation of pozzolanic ash where available (particularly in the Bay of Naples). The addition of ash prevented cracks from spreading. Recent research has shown that the incorporation of mixtures of different types of lime, forming conglomerate "clasts" allowed the concrete to self-repair cracks.[1]
Roman concrete was in widespread use from about 150 BC;[2] some scholars believe it was developed a century before that.[3]
It was often used in combination with facings and other supports,[4] and interiors were further decorated by stucco, fresco paintings, or coloured marble. Further innovative developments in the material, part of the so-called concrete revolution, contributed to structurally complicated forms. The most prominent example of these is the Pantheon dome, the world's largest and oldest unreinforced concrete dome.[5]
Roman concrete differs from modern concrete in that the aggregates often included larger components; hence, it was laid rather than poured.[6] Roman concretes, like any hydraulic concrete, were usually able to set underwater, which was useful for bridges and other waterside construction.
^Chandler, David L. (6 January 2023). "Riddle solved: Why was Roman concrete so durable?". MIT News. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023.
^"National Pozzolan Association: The History of Natural Pozzolans". pozzolan.org. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
^Boëthius, Axel; Ling, Roger; Rasmussen, Tom (1978). "Etruscan and Early Roman Architecture". Yale/Pelican history of art. Yale University Press. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-0300052909.
^"Aqua Clopedia, a picture dictionary on Roman aqueducts: Roman concrete / opus caementicium". romanaqueducts.info. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
^Moore, David (February 1993). "The Riddle of Ancient Roman Concrete". S Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
^Henig, Martin, ed. (1983). A Handbook of Roman Art. Phaidon. p. 30. ISBN 0714822140.
Romanconcrete, also called opus caementicium, was used in construction in ancient Rome. Like its modern equivalent, Romanconcrete was based on a hydraulic-setting...
whereas Romanconcrete could depend only upon the strength of the concrete bonding to resist tension. The long-term durability of Romanconcrete structures...
The Roman architectural revolution, also known as the concrete revolution, is the name sometimes given to the widespread use in Roman architecture of...
surviving buildings were constructed. It used new materials, particularly Romanconcrete, and newer technologies such as the arch and the dome to make buildings...
ConcreteRoman is a slab serif typeface designed by Donald Knuth using his METAFONT program. It was intended to accompany the Euler mathematical font which...
strength of concrete was improved by the reinforcing. Before the 1870s, the use of concrete construction, though dating back to the Roman Empire, and...
making regular Romanconcrete, brick dust can also be used. Besides regular Romanconcrete, the Romans also invented hydraulic concrete, which they made...
ingredient responsible for the longevity of ancient undersea Romanconcrete. The volcanic ash that Romans used for construction of sea walls contained phillipsite...
structures still in use. Roman engineers built dams with advanced techniques and materials, such as hydraulic mortar and Romanconcrete, which allowed for larger...
the end of the Republic. In the 1st century BC, Romans started to use Romanconcrete widely. Concrete was invented in the late 3rd century BC. It was...
erroneous conclusion. It has been determined that the durability of ancient Romanconcrete is attributed in part to the use of quicklime as an ingredient. Combined...
case was called the "concrete-encased high school girl murder case" (女子高生コンクリート詰め殺人事件), since her body was discovered in a concrete drum. The abuse was...
Concrete Utopia (Korean: 콘크리트 유토피아) is a 2023 South Korean disaster-thriller film directed by Um Tae-hwa, who wrote the screenplay with Lee Shin-ji, based...
Greeks, it was the Romans who eventually fully developed the potential of lime-pozzolan pastes as binder phase in Romanconcrete used for buildings and...
using lime mortar. Despite its enduring utility over many centuries (Romanconcrete), lime mortar's effectiveness as a building material has not been well...
centered over the blocks in the row below. With the introduction of Romanconcrete, continuous outer walls were often constructed, with some blocks laid...
materials, which Romans experimented with in the creation of building materials, particularly cements and mortars. Along with concrete, the Romans used stone...
practice of stamping concrete for various purposes began with the ancient Romans. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, concrete was sometimes stamped...
architecture Ancient Roman engineering Ancient Roman technology Romanconcrete Bannon, Cynthia. Gardens and Neighbors: Private Water Rights in Roman Italy. University...
substantially more durable than modern concrete. List of minerals List of minerals named after people RomanConcrete Wikimedia Commons has media related...
the addition of pozzolans. It is the main reaction involved in the Romanconcrete invented in Ancient Rome and used to build, for example, the Pantheon...
domes was greatly facilitated by the invention of concrete, a process which has been termed the Roman Architectural Revolution. Their enormous dimensions...
Concrete degradation may have many different causes. Concrete is mostly damaged by the corrosion of reinforcement bars due to the carbonatation of hardened...
to the concrete mix, and the proportions and size aggregate also affect the appearance and texture of finished concrete surfaces. Ancient Roman builders...
that, at the lowest level, the Roman engineers had placed a loose layer of stones. On this base, they set a concrete or stone U-shaped groove for the...
developed and refined. The Romanconcrete has remained a riddle, and even after more than two thousand years some ancient Roman structures still stand magnificently...