Materials Science in Ancient Rome

TL;DR

This paper explores ancient Roman materials science through case studies of concretes, coatings, amorphous materials, and colloidal crystals based on classical texts, revealing early knowledge of material properties.

Contribution

It provides a modern interpretation of Roman materials science by analyzing classical texts and presenting case studies of various materials used in ancient Rome.

Findings

Roman texts describe materials similar to modern concretes and coatings

Early understanding of amorphous and colloidal materials in Roman times

Historical insights into ancient material properties and applications

Abstract

Two books, the "De Architectura" by Vitruvius and the "Naturalis Historia" by Pliny the Elder, give us a portrait of the Materials Science, that is, the knowledge of materials, in Rome at the beginning of the Empire. Here, I am reporting some very attractive contents that we can find in these books. The reader will see the discussion proposed in fours case studies: concretes, coatings, amorphous materials and colloidal crystals, to describe them in modern words.