The Roman’s Extensive Use of Concrete

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THESIS STATEMENT

The Roman’s extensive use of concrete is portrayed through their massive architectural feats.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

Through the critical analysis of works dealing with the concrete of Ancient Rome it is evident that Rome used concrete to build massive structures.

INTRODUCTION

What would our world be like today if we did not have concrete? Could we imagine a life of stone built houses? The ancient people of world did just that. But then in Rome concrete was invented and the Romans used it to construct an enormous amount of architecture.

At first the Romans did not realize the superior ability of concrete. They began by using it as a fill. They would also cover up the concrete with decorated stones. The concrete they used did not look pleasing because they had mixed it with any arrogate they had available. Later, once they discovered how useful concrete could be, they used it for everything they could. They built their houses, roads government offices, theaters, temples, and everything else they could out of concrete. Concrete was far superior in strength to stone and mortar, and it was easier to make than marble was to quarry and assemble.

Some of the buildings the Romans built are easily recognized today. Buildings like the Pantheon and the Coliseum are some of the biggest building every made of concrete. The Coliseum is and example of a building that was built before the Romans used concrete for all aspects of building. Parts and pieces of the Coliseum are concrete and other parts are stone and mortar. The Pantheon on the other hand, is made entirely of concrete, including the dome upon its ceiling. This dome is still the largest unsupported vaulted ceiling that exists. THE EMERGENCE OF CO...

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...ll buildings were constructed of concrete.

With their realization of the strength of concrete, the Romans used it to build some of the world’s best known structures, like the Coliseum and the Pantheon. By using techniques of various densities and thicknesses, the Romans had created a structure that broke, and holds the record for largest concrete unsupported dome, and continues to remain intact over 2000 years.

[T]he development of Roman concrete, an aspect of Republican Roman architecture . . . slowly but steadily building up until in the first century A.D. it finally breaks through to become itself the dominant theme of later Imperial Architecture. Since the realization and exploitation of the inherit possibilities of this new material are generally held to be Rome’s greatest single contribution to the history of European architecture. (Ward – Perkins 97)

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