Uncovering the Pompeii Archaeological Discovery

The most recent discovery, according to Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii site, “helps us understand many aspects of the great Roman Empire, not least the use of concrete.”

TFD – Explore the latest excavation at Pompeii, unveiling insights into ancient Roman building techniques, especially concrete use.

Italy’s cultural ministry announced on Monday that archaeologists at Pompeii had discovered an ancient building site that provided insight into the methods employed by the Romans to build famous buildings like the Pantheon and the Colosseum.

According to a statement from the government, the site was most likely functioning before Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, destroying Pompeii in southern Italy.

Work tools, stacked roof tiles, tuff bricks, and mounds of stones and lime used to build walls were among the artifacts discovered by the researchers.

The ministry stated that the Romans had a unique method for creating cement, citing research by archaeologists who collaborated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology specialists.

Only unearthed in the sixteenth century, the Pompeii site has undergone a recent upsurge in archaeological research intended to put an end to years of neglect and deterioration.

It looked like concrete was formed by a process known as “hot mixing,” in which quicklime and dry pozzolana, or pozzolanic ash, were combined first, and water was added right before walls were built.

This indicated that a thermal reaction had kept the mixture of stones, pozzolana, and lime hot during wall construction. This accelerated its drying process, reducing the amount of time needed to build the structure.

Quicklime is often slaked in water for a considerable time before to use in construction.

The most recent discovery, according to Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii site, “helps us understand many aspects of the great Roman Empire, not least the use of concrete.”

“The Pantheon, the Colosseum, and the Baths of Caracalla would not exist without concrete,” he declared.

Amphorae storage jars were also discovered by archaeologists. These jars served two purposes: first, to “quench” the lime required for plastering, and second, to store various instruments such iron hoes to make mortar and work lime and lead weights for building absolutely vertical walls.