Roman Self-Healing Concrete: The Ancient “Liquid Stone” That Modern Science Still Can’t Fully Replicate
Two thousand years ago, Roman engineers created something that modern civilization is still struggling to match. Not a monument, not a road, not an aqueduct—but a material. A form of concrete so durable that it has survived earthquakes, floods, saltwater corrosion, and the slow violence of time itself. While modern concrete crumbles within decades, Roman concrete structures still stand, often stronger today than when they were first built. And most astonishing of all, this ancient material appears to heal itself.
For centuries, the secret of Roman concrete was treated as a historical curiosity. Scholars admired it. Engineers puzzled over it. But it wasn’t until the 21st century that scientists finally began to understand what the Romans had accidentally—or intuitively—created: a self-repa...
