Why Does Ancient Cement Get Stronger With Age?

Many ancient stone monuments are truly mind-boggling. How did our ancestors manage to quarry, cut, and move stone blocks that were immensely heavy? Why is it that these stone blocks seem to fit together perfectly, to the point where we can't even fit a dime between the cracks? Consider the stone blocks at Baalbek, Lebanon. A single block found at the site has a weight of 1,650 tons. And what about the strange stone blocks at Puma Punku, which look almost like modern cinder blocks? And what about Sacsayhuaman in Peru, with its walls of giant irregular stones that seem to fit together perfectly? And of course, we can't forget about the giant stone blocks that make up the Giza pyramids. The truth is that no one knows how these structures were constructed, not even mainstream archaeologists. The blocks are simply too heavy, and we have no idea how ancient cultures were able to move them into place with such precision. Of course, there are a few theories, and one of the most interesting of the bunch involves geopolymers. In other words, ancient cement. First, it's important to realize that the concept of ancient concrete is not as far-fetched as you think. After all, we know for a fact that the Romans used concrete extensively in many of their most famous works including the Pantheon. For many years, we couldn't quite understand how they created concrete, but we knew that some kind of lost technology existed in this ancient empire. Today, we seem to have cracked the code of ancient Roman cement, which the Romans referred to as opus cementicum. First of all, this substance is actually much more durable than the cement we use today. This is due to a clever combination of ingredients, such as pozzolanic ash which prevents cracking. But perhaps the most interesting thing about Roman concrete is that it actually becomes more durable over time, especially in regards to underwater concrete. This is because seawater reacts with the volcanic ash and quicklime to create a rare crystal called turbomorite. Experts now refer to Roman concrete as the most durable building material in human history. Consider the fact that modern concrete will crumble within decades if exposed to seawater. A clear example is the Bahia Honda Bridge in Florida, which lasted just a few decades. It's not just underwater Roman concrete that is getting stronger. Evidence from sites like the tomb of Caecilia Metella suggests that all Roman concrete structures are getting stronger over time. In addition, they are flexible enough to withstand numerous earthquakes. The main point is simple. Ancient people had access to advanced cement technology that we struggled to understand for hundreds of years. In fact, Roman concrete is more advanced than modern concrete, to the point where we are now trying to copy their techniques to make our own buildings more durable. So if the Romans couldn't do it, then why not other ancient cultures? Various ancient civilizations may have had their own unique methods for creating concrete, methods that we don't yet fully understand. And yet, here's the crazy thing. Their methods could potentially create stone blocks that looked identical to those cut from quarries. In other words, no one would have been able to tell the differences between real stones and artificial concrete. But how do geopolymers work? Essentially, this is a type of supercement that consists of synthetic aluminosilicates. One of the key benefits of geopolymers is that they do not need to be fired like ceramics. Geopolymers are stronger than concrete, and a mug made from this material will bounce off a concrete floor with no damage whatsoever. Professor Davidovits believes that the Giza pyramids were constructed using these geopolymers. He points out that it would have been much easier to carry barrels of liquid and powder to the pyramids rather than quarried stone. Using wooden molds, the pyramid builders could have created perfect joints between stone blocks, which would explain why these joints are so thin that you can't even put a credit card in between them. It would also explain why the pyramid is perfectly level, as the liquid state of concrete would have been naturally self-leveling. Interestingly enough, x-ray and microscopic analysis of the pyramid stones suggests that Professor Davidovits may be correct. While natural Egyptian limestone contains up to 99% calcite and up to 2.5% quartz, the limestone found on the pyramids contains as little as 85% calcite. In addition, these pyramid blocks contain minerals not found in natural limestone, such as opal, hydroxylapatite, and silicoaluminate. Microscopic analysis has also revealed that pyramid stones exhibit a glass-like bubbly structure. Furthermore, Professor Davidovits successfully created a form of limestone concrete in his lab using only water, crushed limestone, quicklime, and natron. But the Giza pyramids aren't the only stone monuments that could have been constructed using geopolymers. Puma Panku is another potential candidate, seeing as the site is home to incredible stone terraces made from giant blocks of red sandstone and smaller blocks of andersite. These stones could not have been carved by stone tools, which apparently all the Mesoamericans in this area had to work with. Electron microscope analysis has shown that these stones show signs of being man-made. Unlike normal volcanic stone, the andersite found at Puma Panku contains carbon based material. This shouldn't be possible, because organic matter is vaporized by magma when it reaches high temperatures. Some believe that this organic matter was added to andesite sand in order to create some kind of cement. The red sandstone at Puma Panku also contains sodium carbonate, which makes it distinct from naturally occurring red sandstone in the area. Some have suggested that this is evidence of an artificial ferroceolate geopolymer. There is even evidence to suggest that plant saps and acid organic extracts could have been used by Mesoamerican cultures to stones into a slurry. This slurry would have been poured into a mold before hardening. This technique could have been used to make giant stone structures and statues that appear to be carved from a single block. Many people dismiss the idea of geopolymers, but we shouldn't be too quick to throw this idea aside. Roman cement proves that there are still many mysteries hidden within ancient structures. New discoveries within the next few decades could make the geopolymer theory much more plausible. Until then, we are forced to sit back and marvel at the incredible stone monuments that continue to defy reason.