Essay On Roman Concrete

The development of concrete and the arch were integral to the expanse of the Roman empire. While the Romans are known for borrowing influence from other cultures concrete is a Roman achievement that we still see in use to this day. The roman combination of concrete and brick allowed for the building of large solid structures that could last for centuries. The Arch while not being a Roman invention, was utilized in ways not before seen. While the Romans are known for borrowing influence from other cultures concrete is a Roman achievement that we still see in use to this day. Roman concrete is made from pozzolana, a volcanic ash readily available to the Romans, mixed with lime. (Kamm, 2009) This mixture is considered by some to be superior to concrete produced today, as seen by the fact that Roman sea walls over two thousand years old still stand today. (Jenkins, 2017) Marie Jackson of the University of Utah stated that “Contrary to the principles of modern cement-based concrete, the Romans created a rock-like concrete that thrives in open chemical exchange with seawater”. (Jenkins, 2017)

Their architectural achievements aside it allowed for the creation of town walls, bridges and aqueducts. (Kamm, 2009) The strength and relative ease of concrete creation allowed Rome to protect its newly acquired towns and cities with sold walls. As the empire grew so did its requirement for faster and efficient travel, as with the more advanced roman road building, bridges became a must to traverse otherwise unpassable areas. Aqueducts allowed the Romans to bring water from the mountains to its towns and cities. (Kamm, 2009) These later achievements were due to the roman adoption of the