Hot-mixed Roman concrete used quicklime “healing” clasts that seal cracks over time, explaining Pompeii’s long‑lasting ...

Most of this would be based on experience in the field, passed on from master to apprentice. Rome technical know-how can be inferred, both from this and from the writings that have survived. For ...

Imagine the Roman engineer—let’s call him Marcellus—admiring the high walls of the amphitheatre. Eight years of hard work and tough decisions and tons of materials. The best concrete that was ever ...

The Colosseum’s arches, the Pantheon’s dome, the Barbegal watermill’s… elbow flumes? Roman architecture is known for elegance and ingenuity. A curious relic, pieced together in a museum basement, ...