00:00 Monuments are just structures made with extreme effort, brilliant mind and
00:06 ornery hands behind it. Have you ever wondered how ancient monuments are so
00:10 durable and strong and today standing tall as it is made just years ago? Today
00:16 in this video I will tell you about the facts and reason the ancient monuments
00:20 built in an early historical structure have survived all these years. Monuments
00:25 were built to honor the memory of a historic person or event. Ancient
00:29 monuments are among the most long-lasting constructions in the world
00:33 with buildings and walls surviving millennia. We have all admired the
00:37 structural significance of ancient Roman landmarks from the Colosseum to the
00:41 Pantheon to the Marcus Aurelius column and pondered how they have stood the
00:46 test of time without substantial damage or cracks which is not the case with
00:50 many modern-day structures that are only a few decades old. The masterpiece built
00:56 in Rome, Italy, Pantheon is the oldest continuously used structure in history.
01:01 It was built in 126 AD and is one of the most renowned and captivating monuments
01:06 in the world. The dome was and continues to be an engineering wonder and the
01:12 design of the dome and columns influenced dome landmarks across the
01:16 world. It was made with reinforced concrete. The Romans manufacturing
01:20 tactics and self-healing concrete which does not fracture or gap even after
01:25 thousands of years are the secrets underlying the building of such
01:29 structures. According to reports, researchers from the Massachusetts
01:32 Institute of Technology, MIT determined how Roman monuments lasted this long
01:37 without being damaged and found out the secret behind it. They uncovered the
01:42 self-healing concrete used to build the ancient structures which had the
01:46 monuments last this long without any cracks and damages. Now you must be
01:51 wondering what is self-healing concrete that we have been talking about. The MIT
01:55 researchers discovered various self-healing properties that the artists
01:59 and craftsmen had put into the concrete used to construct the Roman monuments.
02:03 Just like from the previous reports, the experts discovered that the concrete's
02:07 durability is due to the fazzolanic material or volcanic ash transported
02:12 from Fazoli in the Bay of Naples. They have now discovered microscopic
02:17 identifiable millimeter-scale dazzling white mineral structures in the samples.
02:21 Limestone is a typical component in making concrete durable and robust and
02:26 it also gives the monument a self-healing potential in the long term.
02:30 Limestone is one of the most common components used in making the concrete.
02:35 If the Romans put so much effort into making an outstanding construction
02:39 material following all of the detailed recipes that had been optimized over the
02:43 course of many centuries, why would they put so little effort into ensuring the
02:47 production of a well-mixed final product? There has to be more to the story.
02:52 Previously the study used to claim that monuments were built with a lime and
02:56 water paste and now the researchers have confirmed that the white inclusions were
02:59 composed of several kinds of calcium carbonate that were treated to high
03:03 temperatures before reacting with quicklime. The scientists make samples of
03:08 hot mixed concrete that included ancient and modern formulas, broke them purposely
03:13 and then flowed water through the gaps. They discovered that the fissures had
03:17 entirely healed after two weeks and that the water could no longer flow.
03:21 Brilliant right? Architecture is both a science and an art form. Building large
03:26 structures that are not only beautiful but also practical takes talent, sense
03:31 and effort. Establishing structures that become recognized around the world is
03:35 something that hardly everyone can do and those who have done so have found
03:39 their way onto the list of the most famous architects of all times. We still
03:44 are grateful to all those minds behind it which still keeps us engaged in
03:47 finding out new facts. For today it is all that I wanted you guys to know. For
03:52 more such videos like, share and subscribe to our channel in depth and
03:55 don't forget to tell us which monument is in your bucket list and that you are
03:58 awaiting to tick off. Thank you for watching.
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