How Did the Ancient Romans Make Concrete So Much Better Than Ours?

Comments · 685

• TO

  @TodayIFoundOut · 3 years ago · pinned

  Go to <a href="https://www.drinktrade.com/brainfood">https://www.drinktrade.com/brainfood</a> and get a free bag of coffee with any subscription.

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• LI

  @LibertyPanacea · 3 years ago

  Yet another example of why we think about the Roman Empire regularly!

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• FR

  @Fraserdarlene · 3 years ago

  “What have the Romans ever done for us?” &nbsp;LOVE that last line and Monty Python nod!

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• MR

  @mrsoggyramen9596 · 3 years ago

  Another day where I’ve thought about the Roman Empire.

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• CA

  @camthebadjer · 3 years ago

  I grew up in the coal mining heart Carbon County, &nbsp;Utah. In our rural double wide trailer on 2 acres of clay ground. We had a coal stove that heated the house, a standard truck bed of coal went for $50-$100 in the 90&apos;s and was enough to heat the house all winter. &nbsp; <br><br>We used to pile the coal ash on the side of the property, but I noticed the pile of ash was surprisingly sturdy compared to the sloppy messy wet clay surrounding dirt when wet from the snow and rain. So from that point on I spread the ash over the dirt driveway. Over the years the driveway became harder and less sloppy muddy when wet, almost like concrete.

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• CA

  @carsonm7292 · 3 years ago

  I was so excited when I saw a few years ago that they finally figured out the secret to Roman concrete—mainly just because I kind of assumed that it would be a mystery forever, and then to find out that it was actually really simple and easy to replicate. There&apos;s an argument to be made that these structures that have long outlasted their purpose are overengineered, but I think that attitude is dismissive to the potential applications that figuring this out may have in modern construction that&apos;s exposed to water. Yes it&apos;s not as physically strong, but if it&apos;s strong enough and much lower maintenance, we should use it.

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• CH

  @chrisnelson3884 · 3 years ago

  Imagine all the knowledge lost over time. Not just ancient technologies like roman concrete and greek fire but all the literature, poetry and philosophical teachings that burned in the library of Alexandria. How far were we set back by that? Centuries? Millenia? We&apos;ll never know.

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• TW

  @TwinShards · 3 years ago

  *In colder region, imagine an asphalt that is self-healing and instead of creating bigger and bigger pothhole, the cracks just never happen. Every non-greedy city/companies would start using this mixture.

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• KI

  @kirbymarchbarcena · 3 years ago

  This is why history and chemistry are important for architects and engineers

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• BI

  @Bill_N_ATX · 3 years ago

  Fly ash is a fairly common additive to concrete today depending on exactly what it’s being used for. Modern concrete can be a very sophisticated mixture of chemicals, including things like plasticizers that reduce the amount of water needed to mix, pour, and smooth the concrete. As noted in the video, additional water beyond the minimum tends to reduce the strength of concrete. But as noted in the video, we are still learning things from the Romans. They were brilliant in many areas and idiots in others. We serve ourselves well to study both.

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• MR

  @MrDDiRusso · 3 years ago

  How often does Simon think about the Roman Empire?

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• DH

  @dherrendoerfer · 3 years ago

  In northern Italy, in the mountains, the olive garden walls are still built and repaired using the old ways - they still add rough stones, caulk stone, hot ash to portland premix, and pour it almost dry. The old men say it takes a month for the terraces to harden, and millennia &nbsp;for them to crumble. Roman cement was never really forgotten by the old, there was just this cheap alternative.

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