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Appreciation post: Finally got to see the real color of that Roman concrete sample
I keep seeing people online say Roman concrete was just gray, like ours. But I got to handle a piece from a dig site near Pompeii last year, and it's not just gray. It has these tiny flecks of red and black from the volcanic ash they used, and it almost looks speckled up close. The guide said the mix was specific to the area because they used local stuff, which is why concrete from other places looks different. It matters because when you see a picture labeled 'Roman concrete' and it's plain gray, you're missing a key detail about their local building methods. I took a bunch of photos with my macro lens to show the texture, and it's wild how much detail you can see. Has anyone else noticed regional color differences in old building materials like that?
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reese_bell3mo ago
Read that the red flecks came from crushed brick they added sometimes.
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the_skyler1mo ago
Right? The red flecks are actually kinda pretty, makes me wish I'd had my macro lens that day instead of my phone camera. My phone photos look like I was trying to photograph a rock through a dirty window, total disaster. I actually thought the speckling was just dirt at first until the guide pointed it out, felt like such a dork. But now I'm obsessed with zooming in on old brick walls in my neighborhood to see if they have any hidden flecks too. Probably just looks like I'm licking the buildings at this point, but worth it for the cool details.
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