Welcome to RomanConcrete.info! Motivated by the enthusiastic response to our research article* “Hot mixing: Mechanistic insights into the durability of ancient Roman concrete”, we have created this website to provide the broader scientific community and the general public with historical background information and additional experimental details related to the original research. Our aim is to expand the body of knowledge on this topic and offer insights that will help guide future research efforts. We appreciate your interest in our work and look forward to your continued feedback.
Roman concrete refers to a type of durable hydraulic cement that was widely used by the ancient Romans for the construction of aqueducts, bridges, roads, and monumental buildings such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon. It was produced by mixing lime, volcanic ash, and in some cases sand, and water to create a mortar, which was then used to bind coarse aggregates such as stones, rubble, or fragments of brick. The use of Roman concrete initiated an architectural revolution, and allowed the Romans to build monumental structures, some of which have stood for over two thousand years. The use of Roman concrete declined after the fall of the Roman Empire, and the recipe fell out of use due to various economic and social factors. Modern analogues of Roman concrete were first proposed in the 19th century, and its composition has since been extensively investigated and replicated by modern scientists and engineers. Due to its comparatively low carbon footprint and its durability over time scales on the order of millennia, Roman concrete continues to inspire new developments in modern construction materials, and motivated our present study.
The scope of our Science Advances article was to identify potential underlying mechanisms responsible for the long-term durability of Roman concrete through a multi-scale experimental approach and define a chemistry-based hypothesis that could confer self-healing properties to modern concrete mixes. It is important to note that the proposed ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based mixes that were developed and evaluated as part of this study were not intended to exactly replicate those of the Romans, but were rather simply chosen as a proof-of-concept of how this Roman-inspired technology could be employed in a modern context. These modern mixes also allowed the team to successfully demonstrate the replicability of the self-healing capabilities of Roman concrete with modern industry-grade ingredients.
The goal of our research was not to propose an advanced mix design that was ready for immediate industrial use, but rather to demonstrate that self-healing functionalities could be employed for the design of new concrete formulations. This study thus represents the initial stage of a roadmap for the development of industry-ready concrete formulations, that members of the research team are now actively pursuing. We invite the international scientific community to further contribute to these efforts aimed at improving the long-term durability of this important construction material, and thus ultimately reducing its lifetime carbon footprint.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtjeyy_zvVY
Throughout the duration of our research, we worked closely with the archaeologists and curators of the Privernum Archaeological Area to understand its history and select representative Roman concrete samples for analysis. The Privernum Archaeological Area is an important historical site located in the Lazio region of Italy, and contains the ancient Roman city of Privernum, which was a key center of commerce and politics for several centuries
Copyright © Archeological Museum of Priverno, all rights reserved.
Privernum was founded as a Roman colony at the end of the 2nd century BCE in the fertile Amaseno valley. During its first phase of construction, Privernum was equipped with a city wall, and primary infrastructures such as roads, sewage systems, and aqueducts were built. The city followed a regular urban plan with parallel streets, which defined blocks and neighborhoods, and was gradually equipped with temples, squares, baths, theaters, and luxurious residences for the city's elite.
Copyright © Archeological Museum of Priverno