Answer Save. 3, 2017 , 1:00 PM. Why modern mortar crumbles, but Roman concrete lasts millennia. Ancient Roman Concrete. 20 million users around the world read Aleteia.org every month, Aleteia is published every day in eight languages: English, French, Arabic, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, and Slovenian, Each month, readers view more than 50 million pages, Nearly 4 million people follow Aleteia on social media, Each month, we publish 2,450 articles and around 40 videos, We have 60 full time staff and approximately 400 collaborators (writers, translators, photographers, etc. Roman concrete, however, is much longer lasting. One of the fascinating mysteries of Ancient Rome is the impressive longevity of some of their concrete harbour structures. Favorite Answer. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website. Unfortunately it is very porous and sucks up water, which freezes in cold months and causes cracks. Seawater makes ancient concrete stronger, so it lasts while modern structures crumble into the sea. The only problem is, the Romansâ recipe was lost long ago. While some concrete structures can last 50-60 years, these cracks can appear within the first few years after construction and can be devastating to the integrity of a structure. Like so many technologies of the Greeks and Romans, the recipe for concrete was lost during the descent into the Dark Ages, but just why remains a mystery. It only takes a minute. THE SECRET ROMAN RECIPE • Use of Roman concrete reached its zenith during the reigns of the Emperors Trajan and Hadrian, 98 to 138 A.D. • By that time the craftsmen were well trained with many tools and they were sufficiently educated to attain teamwork. The analysis, the scientists believe, reveals the lost recipe of Roman concrete, and it also points to how much more stable and less environmentally damaging it is than today’s blend. Thatâs right, the seawater that has been crashing into it for two millennia was part of the hardening process: Scientists are continuing to experiment with their findings, but are still uncertain as to the exact formula to recreate the ancient Roman recipe. As it turns out, not only is Roman concrete more durable than what we can make today, but it actually gets stronger over time.. A chemical reaction within ancient Roman concrete actually makes the substance stronger over time, researchers have discerned. If youâre reading this article, itâs thanks to the generosity of people like you, who have made Aleteia possible. Now, The Guardian reports, scientists are closer than ever to uncovering the mystery. The most popular theory is that the recipe was something of a trade secret among stonemasons, and that the method for making cement and concrete died along with those who knew it. Structures built with the ancient Roman recipe still stand today and retain their structural integrity. Relevance. The concrete was used inland as well, as in structures like the, How San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge Was Built, and Why It's Not Actually Red, Meet the World's Longest Sea-Crossing Bridge, A Small Shove for a Robot, a Giant Leap for Robotkind, Information about the device's operating system, Information about other identifiers assigned to the device, The IP address from which the device accesses a client's website or mobile application, Information about the user's activity on that device, including web pages and mobile apps visited or used, Information about the geographic location of the device when it accesses a website or mobile application. Battered by sea waves for 2,000 years, these things are still around while our modern concoctions erode over mere decades. Given the durability advantages of Roman concrete, one might wonder why it isn't used more often, particularly since manufacturing of Portland cement produces substantial carbon dioxide emissions. 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