Roman Concrete

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Lime mortar the earliest form of concrete was invented by the Egyptian way before the time of the Roman republic. A mixture of lime derived from limestones, sand, and water gave a unique property to the material we know as concrete. The Romans apparently understood the number of advantages this unique mixture of building material offered which they called “opus caementicium” after one of the particular ingredients, caementa stone. The Roman style concrete was thicker than the concrete used today, therefore, working with it required a different technic.
Around the 2nd century BCE, they have learned that by mixing the other concrete ingredients with volcanic sand called pulvis puteolanus made the product stronger and in addition to that it would …show more content…

& Shepard, S. (n. d.) stated “For the Romans’ grander and more artful structures, as well as their land-based infrastructure requiring more durability, they made cement from a naturally reactive volcanic sand called harena fossicia. For marine structures and those exposed to fresh water, such as bridges, docks, storm drains and aqueducts, they used a volcanic sand called pozzuolana.”
Most historians believe the Etruscans constructed arches before the ancient Romans, but the Romans were the first to use them extensively. The arch integration into building designs allowed the Romans to build massive buildings due to the increased strength and support capabilities of these structures. Additionally, the arch design in aqueducts permitted the Romans to move the immense amount of water into the city of Rome which was essential for the cities to thrive due the growing population demands of water. According to Cartwright, M (2013) “These sometimes massive structures, with single, double, or triple tiers of arches, were designed to carry fresh water to urban centers from sources sometimes many kilometers away. The earliest in Rome was the Aqua Appia (312 BCE), but the most impressive example is undoubtedly the Pont du Gard near Nimes (c. 14

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