Read an article about the Roman concrete in the Pantheon lasting 2000 years

I was looking up old building methods and found a study from MIT. They said the Romans used volcanic ash and quicklime, which actually gets stronger from seawater. I always thought modern mixes were the best, but that stuff is still holding up a dome after two millennia. Anyone know if we're trying to bring back any of those old ingredients for special jobs now?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_eric2mo ago

Wow, my buddy's engineering firm actually tested a modern mix with volcanic ash last year.

felix1472mo ago

Oh wow, @the_eric, your buddy's firm is just now testing that? The Romans were doing it like two thousand years ago. Guess we're finally catching up to ancient tech, that's pretty funny. Hope the report didn't cost a fortune to figure out rocks are good in concrete.

abby_wilson512mo ago

Isn't it weird how we keep forgetting old fixes? I saw a video about using lime plaster again because it lets walls breathe better than modern paint. Feels like we're stuck in a loop of solving problems we already had answers for. What's a simple old trick you wish we'd bring back?