The Pantheon has been standing for 1,900 years. Unreinforced. Roman harbor concrete built 2,000 years ago is still getting stronger. A 2023 study from MIT and Harvard finally figured out why and the answer involves a self healing mechanism that modern engineers are only now learning to replicate. Did we actually forget how to build things?
The dome is deviously clever in its construction. The concrete itself gets both thinner and lighter by material content as it ascends - Volcanic ash, or Tufa, being used in increasing quantity toward the top. The beautifully coffered inside is not just for decoration either, it dramatically reduces the amount of concrete needed by at least a third. A carefully considered balance between weight and strength conspires to keep the Dome up. Also don’t forget that the exterior has always been protected - initially by bronze which was melted sown for statues during the Renaissance and then with lead as a replacement.
Part of it was that they used hemp… and volcanic ash. I’ve actually Been working since 2012 to develop a structurally viable and 3-D printable hempCrete and next year we should be Finalizing tests and getting it Certified for residential at the very least.
We aren't smarter. We're more resourceful. We have more knowledge in standardized and recorded form. And we have vastly better tools. What they had was time. They perfected the concrete over centuries. We will get there too eventually.
We will have better materials. But that won't take away the ingenuity behind both the Roman cement and the Portland cement. What comes in the future will surely be based on the lessons from both.
The dome is deviously clever in its construction. The concrete itself gets both thinner and lighter by material content as it ascends - Volcanic ash, or Tufa, being used in increasing quantity toward the top. The beautifully coffered inside is not just for decoration either, it dramatically reduces the amount of concrete needed by at least a third. A carefully considered balance between weight and strength conspires to keep the Dome up. Also don’t forget that the exterior has always been protected - initially by bronze which was melted sown for statues during the Renaissance and then with lead as a replacement.
It truly is an amazing feat! And so interesting to learn their concrete was a different consolidation of materials than present day.
First time reader, will not be a one-and- done, for certain. Very well written, clear, explanatory w/o being dumbed down or condescending. Nice work.
This article supports the rumours that The Wailing Wall is part of a Roman fortress not part of a Jewish temple 😅🤨🧐🤔😅
As this is a History blog, please change the name "Israel" to "Palestine".
Fascinating!
The Pantheon’s dome has undergone maintenance and repairs. Romans where awesome but they where no wizards
Would be nice if they use this technology to build sea walls that help the sinking city of Venice.
This was incredibly fascinating…thank you so much.
During the early 1990s I met a Dutchman who told me he had just been to visit Indonesia.
He had worked there soon after Indonesian independence and WWII, building big bridges for highways.
He had plenty of workmen and concrete but no steel for reinforcing so he said he used strip's of bamboo instead of the steel.
He was very pleased with the bridges and said there were no cracks.
So it seems steel is not necessary in all concrete construction.
Part of it was that they used hemp… and volcanic ash. I’ve actually Been working since 2012 to develop a structurally viable and 3-D printable hempCrete and next year we should be Finalizing tests and getting it Certified for residential at the very least.
The problem as always, is we started with the assumption we were smarter.
We aren't smarter. We're more resourceful. We have more knowledge in standardized and recorded form. And we have vastly better tools. What they had was time. They perfected the concrete over centuries. We will get there too eventually.
We will have better materials. But that won't take away the ingenuity behind both the Roman cement and the Portland cement. What comes in the future will surely be based on the lessons from both.
We have forgotten a lot more than we know