| Cement is the most widely used building material | | | | directly contributing to advance of disease and the |
| in the world and has been for thousands of years. | | | | great Plague. |
| The historical record confirms that the ancient | | | | Running water and sanitation systems, common in |
| Persians, Assyrians and Babylonians used cement | | | | ancient Rome, were lost and did not reappear until |
| in the binding and affixing of mud bricks. The | | | | the late middle ages. Agriculture techniques, |
| Egyptians also used cement in construction. It was | | | | brewing spirits, military organization and strategy, |
| the Romans, however, that perfected the | | | | road building and trade routes were lost for |
| production of slaked cement that made many | | | | centuries as well. |
| construction advances possible. | | | | Today we take much for granted. We assume |
| The basic materials that the ancients used to | | | | that things will always be convenient, food |
| make cement were readily available, then as now. | | | | prevalent, choices abounding and affordable. The |
| Sand, water and rocks, the basic ingredients in | | | | lesson of history is that this is not necessarily so. |
| cement, are essentially found anywhere in the | | | | Societies do recede. Knowledge can be lost. We |
| world. The first great advance in the evolution of | | | | must protect and value our freedoms, knowledge, |
| the production of cement was the Roman | | | | science and creativity. |
| invention of the pozzalana technique. The Romans | | | | Today, in a good portion of the world, the |
| found that volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius, | | | | populace lives much as the most backward |
| when mixed with slaked lime; sand and water | | | | 'burgher of the Dark Ages lived. Subsistence |
| produced an amazingly versatile type of cement. | | | | farming is prevalent. Clean water is not available. |
| It was easier to work with and delivered much | | | | Hygiene is unknown. Basic medical care and drugs |
| greater strength than previous blends. | | | | are not to be found. These populations do not |
| Many of the monuments and buildings so gloriously | | | | choose this bleak existence, they have simply |
| built by the ancient Romans, standing to this day, | | | | never known anything else but the horrid grate of |
| benefited from the perfection of pozzalana | | | | endless poverty, ignorance and hunger. |
| cement. Hadrians Arch, the Forum, the Roman | | | | In other areas of the world, owing to religious or |
| Baths, the Appian Way, the Church of | | | | societal mores, there is no desire to live a modern |
| Constantine and many more edifices were | | | | lifestyle. The whole goal is to live as if the year |
| strengthened utilizing this simple, but essential | | | | were 908 rather than 2008. In too many |
| construction product. The proof of the utility of | | | | instances, unfortunately and dangerously, these |
| pozzalana cement is on display every where you | | | | populations not only wish to live lives of physical |
| look in modern Rome. Ancient walls of pozzalana | | | | deprivation but they want the rest of us to be |
| cement as thick as 12 feet have been discovered | | | | forced to accept their hatred of modernity and |
| at a number of Roman archeological dig sites. | | | | be forced to share their aversion of |
| Amazingly, the secret of pozzalana cement was | | | | contemporary comforts. |
| soon lost and was not re-discovered until the 18th | | | | The inventions that the Romans perfected and |
| century, when the scientific age of discovery was | | | | left for subsequent generations were soon lost. |
| in full bloom. The lost recipe for Roman cement | | | | The world went into a period of darkness. |
| was re-invented and continued in use until Portland | | | | Creativity and science went into torpor. It could |
| cement was perfected in the 19th century. | | | | happen again. It could happen to us if we let down |
| Portland cement is the gold standard product for | | | | our guard and allow our advances and knowledge |
| building material to this day. | | | | base to wither and decline. It will happen if some |
| For almost 1500 years builders were limited | | | | fanatics have their way and can force their |
| because an ancient method of improving simple | | | | ideology on peoples not appreciative of their |
| cement was lost. We know that many of the | | | | freedoms. Freedom isn't free and gains can easily |
| inventions of the ancient world went extinct as | | | | be lost. |
| well. Bathing and personal hygiene became rare, | | | | |