Self-healing concrete? Buried Pompeii site reveals secret behind Rome’s enduring structures

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Archaeologists excavating a Pompeii site uncovered the secret behind the longevity ofancient Roman structures: a unique concrete mixture that could chemically repair itself over time.

A recent study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications earlier in December, centered around a construction site that was abandoned after the eruption ofMount Vesuviusin 79 AD.

The construction site was buried under volcanic ash, which preserved it for nearly 2,000 years.Archaeologists found rooms with unfinished walls, piles of premixed dry building material and weighing and measuring tools for preparing concrete.

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Construction workers were building domestic rooms, a bakery with ovens, grain-washing basins and storage facilities when the volcano erupted.

At the site, researchers found that Romans used a specific method of developing durable, self-healing concrete — a substance that revolutionized architecture.

Split image of Pompeii buildings, Vesuvius painting

A newly analyzed construction site in Pompeii, preserved by the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius, reveals Roman builders used a self-healing concrete technique that helped structures endure for centuries.(Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images;Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)

It was no secret that Romans used concrete — it was used to build the Colosseum, the Pantheon and countless other ancient buildings — but the specific method of concrete mixing had remained unknown until now.

The Pompeii ruins, preserved under volcanic ash, offer insight into Roman engineering and construction practices.(Eliano Imperato/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Admir Masic, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who co-authored the study, told Reuters that he felt like he“traveled back in time”during the excavation.

The Roman method heated the concrete mixture from within, enhancing its durability and long-term stability.(Antonio Balasco/KONTROLAB/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The study also found that the concrete technique described by Vitruvius may have been outdated by the time that Vesuvius erupted.

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“Imagine what 100 years of difference could mean for the building technology.A good analogy could be the early telephones,” Masic told Reuters.“In the 1920s-30s: rotary dialing, long-distance copper lines.In the 2020s: smartphones using packet-switched digital signals and wireless networks.”

The MIT professor also speculated that thePompeii discoverymay shed some ancient wisdom that modern builders could benefit from.

A popular destination for history lovers, Pompeii now offers clues to sustainable modern building techniques, Masic said.(Marco Cantile/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“Modern concretes generally lack intrinsic self-healing capability, which is increasingly important as we seek longer-lasting, lower-maintenance infrastructure,” he said.

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“So while the ancient process itself is not a direct replacement for modern standards, the principles revealed can inform the design of next-generation durable, low-carbon concretes.”