Practice question · Multiple choice
Pozzolana let Roman concrete cure under water. Why did that chemistry change what Roman architecture could look like, and not merely where it could be built?
Hints
- Ask what sets the maximum distance between supports.
- What does a material that is POURED allow that one that is CUT does not?
Show the answer
B. Because it frees the interior from a column grid
Why
Cut stone dictates a post-and-lintel grid; poured concrete does not. The dome and the vaulted interior are consequences of a material that takes the shape of its mould.
Practise Roman Art and Engineering
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