What´s New In History - The Secret of Rome's Self-Repairing Concrete — Solved?

Some Roman concrete has been standing for nearly two millennia—and in certain environments, it seems to have gotten remarkably good at repairing its own cracks.

How?

Bernie and Garry Stevens from History IN the Bible explore the science and history behind Roman concrete, from volcanic materials and ancient building techniques to recent research suggesting that something once dismissed as evidence of sloppy mixing may actually have been an important part of the recipe.

Were Roman engineers deliberately creating self-healing concrete? Did different builders use different recipes for different jobs? And how much have we really rediscovered about one of the ancient world's most impressive technologies?

The Romans left us the concrete. Figuring out exactly how they made it is another matter.

Of course we have a lot of fun along the way and meet a very interesting character - Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. DEFINITELY check this episode out!

Article links:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-a-1-900-year-old-latrine-helps-explain-why-roman-concrete-lasts/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-construction-site-in-the-ruins-of-pompeii-is-revealing-new-secrets-about-the-2000-year-old-recipe-for-roman-concrete-180987845/

https://news.mit.edu/2025/pompeii-offers-insights-ancient-roman-building-technology-1209

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https://www.youtube.com/@whatsnewinhistory

This is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.

Contact information:

E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.com

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Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.

Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020

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