opus caementicium
Opus caementicium is the Roman concrete that built the ancient empire's most enduring structures—the Pantheon, the Colosseum, aqueducts.
Made from volcanic ash, lime, and aggregate, it could set underwater and has outlasted modern concrete by millennia.
The term appears in architectural history and engineering discussions: The dome was constructed using opus caementicium.
- limeAcidic green citrus
- formworkMold for poured concrete
- Roman EmpireAncient state from Augustus onward
- volcanic ashFragmented rock from eruptions
- VitruviusRoman architectural theorist
Colosseum · seawater · aggregate · domes · Pantheon · curing · layering · arches · Roman baths · amphitheaters · foundations · rubble · admixtures · aqueducts · mortar · masonry · temples · binder
- Ancient RomeRome, Julius Caesar, Caesar, gladiator, gladiators
- Roman ArchitectureColosseum, Pantheon, forum, aqueduct, amphitheater
- Roman Villasvilla, atrium, peristyle, domus, hypocaust
- Roman buildingarches, domes, vaults, brick, travertine
- fortificationsfort, fortress, fortresses, citadel, citadels
construction material composition
opus caementiciumadobe
Sun-dried clay bricks
thatch · temporary structures · dressed stone · timber framing · mudbrick