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An Ancient Construction Site In Pompeii Is Revealing How The Romans Made ‘Self-Healing’ Concrete
Pompeii Archaeological ParkA pile of the dry concrete mixture found at the construction site.
The concrete of ancient Rome was notoriously strong. Many of the buildings, bridges, and aqueducts built by the Romans still stand today. Now, thanks to a construction site left stuck in time in the ancient city of Pompeii, scientists believe they have solved the long-running debate about why Roman concrete was so sturdy and durable.
The discovery builds off of previous research in which scientists described the theory that Romans used “hot mixing” to manufacture concrete, which allowed it to “heal” itself when water caused it to crack. However, this process was significantly different than the method ancient Roman architect Vitruvius described in his treatise De architectura roughly 100 years before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Then, a construction site in Pompeii that was left well-preserved in the aftermath of the eruption was discovered. After studying this site, the researchers were able to confirm that the hot mixing method proposed previously was indeed the one used by ancient Romans in the first century C.E.
Why Roman Concrete Was So Revolutionary
The study, which was recently published in Nature Communications, suggests that ancient Romans used dry-heated limestone to create a highly reactive quicklime and then mixed it with volcanic ash and water. The resulting chemical reaction produced the heat that gave the concrete its self-healing properties.
This hot mixing method created chunks called “lime clasts” within the concrete. If the concrete cracked and water flowed through, these clasts would dissolve, and the calcium they released would recrystallize and seal the crack.
This conclusion came after researchers studied piles of dry, pre-mixed concrete ingredients found at an ancient construction site in Pompeii.
Vaserman et al./Nature CommunicationsA depiction of the first three steps of the “hot mixing” method of creating concrete.
“We were blessed to be able to open this time capsule of a construction site and find piles of material ready to be used for the wall,” study author Admir Masic said in a statement. “With this paper, we wanted to clearly define a technology and associate it with the Roman period in the year 79 C.E.”
After studying the ingredients, as well as a wall that was in the process of being built, existing structural walls, and a wall that had been repaired with mortar, the researchers were able to conclude that the method proposed during their chemical analysis of Roman concrete back in 2023 was accurate.
How The Hot Mixing Method Differs From Historical Records
The construction site provided solid archaeological evidence of hot mixing. However, this method was not the one described by Vitruvius, an ancient Roman architect who wrote about how concrete was made.
In the first century B.C.E., Vitruvius noted that concrete was made from slaked lime — or hydrated, heated limestone. The researchers believe that this method was either misinterpreted or out of date by the time construction started at the site in Pompeii nearly 100 years later.
FeaturedPics/Wikimedia CommonsAncient marvels like the Colosseum were likely built using this hot mixing method.
The scientists hope that this research will allow restoration workers in the ancient city to use the hot mixing method of manufacturing concrete to make repairs in a way that is true to the time period. They also hope this process will help modern concrete become more durable and longer-lasting.
“The way these pores in volcanic ingredients can be filled through recrystallization is a dream process we want to translate into our modern materials,” Masic explained. “We want materials that regenerate themselves.”
After reading about the secrets behind ancient Roman concrete, learn about these 33 stunning frescoes from Pompeii and the stories behind them. Then, discover the history of the preserved bodies of Pompeii’s victims.
The post An Ancient Construction Site In Pompeii Is Revealing How The Romans Made ‘Self-Healing’ Concrete appeared first on All That's Interesting.
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