Roman Concrete

The greatness of Roman architecture is built, quite literally, upon the foundation of two important items: the discovery of concrete and the adoption of the arch from the Greeks. Concrete was an exceptional development within the Roman world and catapulted Roman construction into new heights of efficiency and stability. According to Kamm (1995), the origin of Roman concrete can be found in a volcanic earth known as pozzolana, initially found near the Greek settlement of Puteoli. It would later be discovered in large amounts in and around the city of Rome itself. Used to make mortar, the true strength of pozzolana came into being when combined with lime and strengthening agents such as chips of rock or stone and pieces of broken brick. When mixed together in the correct quantities, Roman concrete was born. It allowed the Romans to replace ordinary rubble as the filling within walls. Not only did this give increased strength and resilience to the wall and overall structure in question, it allowed the Romans to indulge their artistic side. Using irregularly-shaped stones as a facing material, bound in courses of brick, patterns and designs could be carefully fashioned in a technique known as opus incertum. This technique would come to be slightly modified with the use of square-based pyramidal stones whose heads faced inward to the wall and called opus reticulatum. The permutation of using triangular-based bricks in the style came to be known as opus testaceum (1995).
Additionally, roads stretching as far as the eye could see helped to bind the empire together. They allowed for speedy communication and the rapid movement of people, goods, and when necessary, military