Drilling at a marine structure in Portus Cosanus, Tuscany, in 2003. (J.P. Oleson)
How might our understanding of ancient Roman technology work for us? Read about ancient Roman concrete here.
Ancient Roman concrete
Professor M. Och
ARTH 114 and ARTH 115: Introduction to Western Art, University of Mary Washington
This is utterly amazing. The mere fact that these ancient Romans found materials that could withstand the wear and tear of nature is incredible.There are so many questions that have yet to be answered. How did they find this material? How did they know it would last? Who came up with this concept? I think it is important that we understand and learn the ways/ methods of ancient societies because they can now offer modern day people so much knowledge on how to do and build certain things. This material could potentially be used in present day and better our society
This is insane! It also teaches a lesson and shines light on how we a society treat industrial and natural. To people in our present time, nature is something you have to escape to. It isn’t seen as coexisting with the industrial world. People in the United States don’t fantasize about escaping to cities, they dream of seeing the “untouched” nature of some island. This is the same with our building techniques. Unlike the Ancient Romans, who were very much closer to nature than we are nowadays, we build our materials to resist and keep nature out. The Romans on the other hand saw using nature as a tool. We could learn something from them, not only to save money but to also be more environmentally aware.
It’s interesting that people from such a long time ago created a concrete that has survived this long. That this island of ancient concrete has survived the wear and tear of time and the elements unlike most materials from that time period is just amazing.
Ancient Romans are very clever. Today we use metal in our concrete to “keep the structure in place”. Little do people know, the structure crack when they start to corrode. Romans didn’t use any type of metal in their concrete thus allowing it to stay together for so long. It’s incredible that something that old can stay standing for so long.
I think it is funny how many people today think that concrete was not invented until the early 20th century. Just because that we didn’t use it in American architecture does not mean that it was not around. It is incredible that the Romans invented a very sturdy type of concrete that has lasted for thousands of years. The most impressive part about this is that it has held up in an ocean climate with all the salt which speeds up the deterioration process.
Roman architecture continues to amaze me. Not only could they build fantastic architecture, but it has withstood the elements for over a thousand years. To think that we may never stop learning from this ancient empire is mind boggling.