How did expertise in maritime hydraulic concrete spread through the Roman empire?


Abstract eng:
The long passage in Vitruvius’ De architectura concerning the methods and materials for building concrete harbour structures in the sea (5.12.2-5) is unique in ancient literature and consequently frequently cited by modern scholars. Less well known are passages elsewhere in Vitruvius that deal with hydraulic concrete in marine structures, and similar comments in the works of Strabo, Pliny the Elder, Seneca, Suetonius, and Dio Cassius. These authors all comment on the need for a crucial ingredient, pulvis puteolanus volcanic ash from the region around ancient Puteoli on the Bay of Naples. None of these passages, however, concern engineering works outside central Italy, although the ROMACONS Project has documented the use of pulvis puteolanus (now popularly called pozzolana) in Roman harbour structures throughout the Mediterranean. It seems likely that information concerning the ideal materials for placing hydraulic concrete, and their ratios, was spread not only by the movement of central Italian engineers around the Mediterranean but also by the circulation of sub-literary engineering manuals.

Contributors:
Publisher:
RILEM Publications s.a.r.l., 157 rue des Blains F-92220 Bagneux - France
Conference Title:
Conference Title:
2nd Conference and of the Final Workshop of RILEM TC 203-RHM
Conference Venue:
Prague (CZ)
Conference Dates:
2010-09-22 / 2010-09-24
Rights:
Text je chráněný podle autorského zákona č. 121/2000 Sb.



Record appears in:



 Record created 2014-11-06, last modified 2014-11-18


Original version of the author's contribution as presented on CD, , page 285. :
Download fulltext
PDF

Rate this document:

Rate this document:
1
2
3
 
(Not yet reviewed)