Civil Engineering Commons^™

Lessons From Roman Cement And Concrete, Norbert J. Delatte

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Although masonry and lime mortars had been used for centuries by earlier civilizations, the Romans were the first to extensively use naturally occurring volcanic earth to make hydraulic cement. The volcanic powder named “pulvis puteolanis,” found near the town of Puteoli near Naples (now Pozzouli), was used to build magnificent structures. The use of this hydraulic cement in masonry and concrete greatly expanded civil engineering possibilities. The Roman engineer Vitruvius, writing in The Ten Books on Architecture, described the careful materials selection, proportioning, and workmanship that was critical to the performance of Roman concrete. Masonry and coarse and fine …