Its not like we need another reason to appreciate that the ancient romans were the best engineers in the history of mankind. Ok. We’re prone to hyperbole when we see structures lasting over 2000 years. These engineers worked without the benefit of science, of recorded data, of a network of individuals that could communicate what worked and what didn’t. They did it on their own. While most of their contributions are attributable to their constant pursuit of engineering greatness, a part of this sounds like it was empirical luck, and that’s fine. Who else is more deserving of the credit?
Read on about how the concrete mixtures that were used from certain quarries and the mixture of sea water created some of the strongest concrete known to man.
Drilling at a marine structure in Portus Cosanus, Tuscany, in 2003. (J.P. Oleson)
