How did they make concrete before there was readymix and other such concoctions?
The used limestone which they processed into quicklime, the basis for mortar. It differed from out modern material in that it couldn’t be readily stored. Today’s stuff is stable enough to keep in paper bags at the worksite. Not having computers and stress testing labs, the Romans overbuilt. That’s why their bridges can still be used to carry todays traffic. Romans had a strong quality control for their best work. The whiter the quicklime the stronger it was. They still made mistakes but the Romans used concrete far longer then modern man has. “Romans used the same essential concrete ingredients we use today, but they used them in a vastly different manner. “First a semi-fluid mixture of lime, pozzolan, and small stones or brickbats was poured in….” writes J.H. Middelton in The Remains of Ancient Rome, “Then a layer of larger stones, from 3 to 6 inches across, was laid by hand. Then a second layer of fluid cement was poured in, and so on.” Moore agrees, with one modification: he belie
