By now you\u2019re probably saying, \u201cThere can\u2019t be any more connections between\nthe Roman Empire and Federal-style buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well consider this: for as long as civilization has been around, folks have\ntried to create man-made stone. The Babylonians used clay to hold their\nbuildings together. The Egyptians added roasted gypsum to the clay for a\nstronger result. But it was the Romans who really cracked the code. They\ndiscovered that if you heated together volcanic ash, lime and crushed clay\ntiles, and mixed it all together with seawater, it would undergo a chemical\nreaction called hydration and would solidify into a rock-hard mass. Even\nbetter, while still a liquid, the material could be poured into any form,\nresulting in man-made vaults, arches, and domes. From about 300BC onward, Rome\nused this miraculous substance throughout the Empire. Roman baths, aqueducts,\nbridges, the Colosseum, and the Pantheon are all made with it; in some places\nit is 12 feet thick. In Latin, this miracle man-made stone was called \u201copus\ncaementicium.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now consider this: when the Western Roman Empire fell in 476AD, the secret\nto making cement was lost for a millennium. Consider that again: through the\nDark Ages, to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, up until the Enlightenment, no\nbuildings in Europe were made with true Roman cement! They were masoned\nbeautifully but were held together with whatever rudimentary \u201cglue\u201d folks could\nconcoct with the materials they had on hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the British Empire was all about\nglobal standardization, and it needed consistent and reliable materials for\nbuilding its operations around the world. In 1756, while repairing a crumbling\nlighthouse off the coast of Cornwall, British engineer John Smeaton discovered\nthat by mixing lime, clay and crushed iron slag, he created a chemical\nconcoction that hardened beautifully \u2013 even under water. It was a combination\nvery close to the Roman recipe, and it quickly became the imperial standard.\n(Smeaton\u2019s repair of the lighthouse lasted 126 years before failing.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cement innovation surged from the 1760\u2019s onward \u2013 just when the British\nEmpire was rapidly expanding and a certain group of colonies in America\ndeclared their independence \u2013 leading to a dramatic increase in cement usage\nand improvement, which eventually led to the invention, in 1824, of Portland\ncement, which is the standard cement used in construction to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of which happened at the exact moment that Federal-style buildings were popping up across the new United States. So, instead of being built on the ground, or on unstable dry stone walls, Federal buildings were the first to receive Roman-quality cement foundations. Which made them stronger \u2013 and sometimes slightly taller \u2013 than previous structures. And certainly more durable: with a stronger foundation, Federal-style buildings would stand the test of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A thousand-year-old technology, lost and rediscovered. Just in time to bring lasting strength to the new American Republic.
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