Did you know that Richard Smalley died? What a shame, at 62.
Posted on 12/04/2007 6:32:34 PM PST by BGHater
ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Germany have found a 2,000-year-old glue Roman warriors used to repair helmets, shields and the other accessories of battle.
"Caesar's superglue" - as it has been dubbed by workers at the Rhine State Museum in Bonn - was found on a helmet at a site near Xanthen on the Rhine River where Romans settled before Christ.
Frank Welker, a restorer at the museum, said: "We found the parade cavalry helmet had been repaired with an adhesive that was still doing its job.
"This is rightly called some kind of superglue because air, water and time have not diminished its bonding properties. We haven't mixed up a batch ourselves yet, but we can thoroughly reccommend it - it lasts, after all, for 2,000 years."
The adhesive was made from a mixture of bitumen, cattle fat and bark pitch.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. I watched a History channel show on Roman medicine. The emphasis was on battlefield medicine for the Legionaries. The level was astounding. They had surgical staples/clamps made from silver,sutures and primitive antibiotics. The knowledge of the healing process was amazing. At least one Roman doctor was exploring the possibility of eye surgery. In a time where the average age for a citizen was mid 40’s the Legionaries age was into the 60’s barring death or serious injury. Their diet was good and they did get lots of “exercise”
And here I thought he only did cartoon voices.
25 miles a day humping 70 pounds, then build a fortress before turning in.
Get up in the morning and do it again. After a few months of this, battle seems like a day off.
“Romancrete is also quite strong, as strong or stronger than some modern
forms of concrete.”
(General info on one of the “rediscovered” Roman technologies)
I’m no engineer, but IIRC from some History Channel shows, the great
feat of the Romans was “hydraulic cement”, that could be used to
even make cast forms underwater.
I think one show mentioned that the mixing and using of this wonderful
material was lost for centuries...only recovered in modern times.
Like this new “Roman superglue”, some of the castings are still in
great shape even after a couple of millenia of weathering.
INCREDIBLE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pozzolana
Finely ground and mixed with lime it creates a hydraulic cement and
can be used to make a strong mortar that will also set under water. It
transformed the possibilities for making concrete structures,
although it took the Romans some time to discover its full potential.
Typically it was mixed two-to-one with lime just prior to mixing with
water. The Roman port at Cosa was built of Pozzolana that was poured
underwater, apparently using a long tube to carefully lay it up without
allowing sea water to mix with it. The three piers are still visible today,
with the underwater portions in generally excellent condition after
2100 years.
Funny how so many people think that ancient or primitive means stupid.
ping
Oatmeal seems to be a good adhesive, especially if I don’t wash the bowl right away.
LOL!
Did you know that Richard Smalley died? What a shame, at 62.
You took the words out of my mouth...watching ancient discoverys on the History Channel I’ve realized how advanced ancient cultures truly were. I’ve heard the phrase “which can’t be done today” stated several times.
Ultimately these cultures knew how to get things done but maybe didn’t fully understand the why they worked like we do now.
It’s amazing...I’ve wondered what secrets of technology were lost in the fires that destroyed the library in Alexandria I think it was...
Yeah, in fact, barring death, they lived to be older.
I hear when they got to 100, they made them Centurions.
Maybe this explains why the ancient Romans were considered stuck-up, at least stuck on themselves.
Concrete works underwater, it’s a chemical thing not an evaporating thing.
“Did you know that Richard Smalley died? “
Yep. He sure packed a lot into his fairly short life.
I’m not impressed. Now if they come up with Caesar’s Duct Tape...
There’s this guy who says that the pyramids were poured in place- http://pyramids.blog.com/
I think that a few years back they used flour and water to hang wallpaper- maybe still do.
Xanthen? Probably the source of Xanthen gum. /rimshot
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