17 Roman Concrete

Introduction

Stretching from England to parts of Africa and the Middle East, the Roman Empire rose to power around two thousand years ago and flourished as one of the strongest empires to ever exist. It is argued by many people that a specific technology utilized by the Roman Empire was the driving force of Rome and the fall of the great empire followed the decline of this innovation. (add quote) What innovation from two thousand years ago could both birth and kill an empire? The Romans called it “opus caementicium”, but today we simply call it Roman concrete. The concrete was made from three components: aggregate, mortar, and facing. The aggregate was made from stones, terra cotta, or tiling. The mortar was created by mixing lime, water, and ash or sand. The main ash that was used reacted with water and lime to create a strong and waterproof bond. (go into self-healing) 

Connection to STS

Roman concrete was an advanced technology that played a major role in Ancient Rome. It allowed for construction of harbors, aqueducts, roads, sewers, and famous structures still seen today that played a role in public worship or entertainment.

Harbors

Before Rome’s concrete, harbors were only built in locations with advantageous geography or topography. But the concrete that the Romans invented was able to be used underwater allowing for the construction of harbors anywhere they needed. With the now grand use and widespread construction of new harbors there was a connection between the world and the rise of the first global empire and economy.

Aqueducts

Aqueducts built with waterproof concrete were constructed throughout Europe allowing for transport of water over long distances. Being able to transport water over long distances now provided a steady supply of water to major cities throughout Rome. Aqueducts are seen today in countries including France, Spain, Greece, parts of Northern Africa, and to the east in Turkey. This steady supply of water provided drinking water for the people of Rome. Aqueducts also transported water into cities to be used in irrigation, which will be talked about later. Water was also transported to public baths allowing for thousands of people to bathe, which helped increase sanitation and hygienics. Famous fountains attracting tourists from all over the world were supplied with water from aqueducts, in fact the aqueduct “Aqua Virgo” built in 19 B.C. still supplies the Trevi Fountain with water.

Roads

The ancient Romans also built roads expanding throughout the continent, lots of which were built using layers of concrete. The roads connected cities allowing for more trade. A lot of roads are still intact today, with some still being used.

Sewers

Sewers were also one of Rome’s earliest notable constructions. Sewers were used to drain flooding in local areas as well as remove wastes from the cities. Sewers also helped with sanitation.

Structures

The famous Colosseum that still stands today acted as a public gathering place holding tens of thousands of people. This structure notably served as an arena for entertainment. The famous gladiators fought here, exotic animals were imported for hunts, and water was transported into the Colosseum allowing for naval fights.

Concrete also played an important role in Ancient Rome’s society by allowing religious structures to be built. The construction of the Pantheon was only possible due to the lightweight concrete used to construct the dome.

Conclusion

Concrete was crucial to Rome’s development as it provided entertainment, religious places for worship, roads and ports which increased trade, and provided cities with water. The durable and self-healing concrete drove Rome to its success and has major influences in today’s society. Modern day science is also still influenced as researchers try to create more sustainable and durable construction materials built off Rome’s concrete.

Works Cited

Brandon, C. J., Oleson, J. P., Jackson, M. D., & Hohlfelder, R. L. (2014). Building for eternity: the history and technology of Roman concrete engineering in the sea.

Delatte, N. J. (2001). Lessons from Roman cement and concrete. Journal of professional issues in engineering education and practice, 127(3), 109-115.

Deming, D. (2020). The Aqueducts and Water Supply of Ancient Rome. Ground Water, 58(1), 152–161. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.12958

Dembskey, E. J. (2009). The aqueducts of ancient Rome (Doctoral dissertation, University of South Africa, Pretoria).

Jackson, M. D., Oleson, J. P., Moon, J., Zhang, Y., Chen, H., & Gudmundsson, M. T. (2018). Extreme durability in ancient Roman concretes. Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull, 97(5), 22-28.

Tellis, G., & Rosenzweig, S. (2018). Roman Concrete: Foundations of an Empire. In How Transformative Innovations Shaped the Rise of Nations: From Ancient Rome to Modern America (pp. 37–66). chapter, Anthem Press.

Cited Images