Hi Gang, Just came across the following and thought it interesting
from a historical point of view. Probably you all already know about
this but, being out here in the sticks, I had never come across this
particular fact before. Most of my concrete knowledge is of CEment
blocks, just bought 4 large ones for our lawn aerator. Ruth
The Learning Kingdom's Cool Fact of the Day for April 14, 2000
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Who first used concrete for large constructions?
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Although concrete was known as early as 2,000 years ago, its first
use in major construction projects was in ancient Rome. A good
example is Hadrian's Villa near Tivoli, Italy, which was built around
120 AD. There, the Roman Emperor Hadrian experimented with various
forms and styles of architecture, making use of concrete in
conjunction with bricks, tufa, and other materials.
The Villa at Tivoli is especially noteworthy because of the
interesting use of curves, domes, underground passages, ponds, and
other elements. New materials made new forms possible, and Hadrian's
Villa shows some of this experimentation in its many interesting
vistas.
Many Roman buildings made of concrete have lasted through history
because of their unique chemistry. The Romans mixed their lime with
pozzolan, a kind of ash produced by a certain volcano. The peculiar
chemistry of the resulting concrete was one of the reasons for its
durability.
More about durable ancient Roman concrete:
http://www.romanconcrete.com/
--
Ruth Barton
[log in to unmask]
Westminster, VT
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