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Ancient Roman concrete wall image credit: Flickr / Xerones (CC by-NC 2.0) |
The ancient Romans used a type of concrete that is far more durable in seaside applications than our modern concrete. Modern cement in constant contact with the sea eventually weakens, and the steel reinforcing inside then rusts as salty water travels into cracks in the structure. It takes only a few decades for the concrete to begin crumbling away.To read the rest, click on "Ancient Roman concrete … just like natural rock".
However, Roman marine concrete actually cured into a very tough material identical to hard rock. Two millennia old Roman piers and breakwaters are still standing rock-solid today.
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