BRIEF HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF CONCRETE MATERIAL

The time in which concrete was invented depends on how the term "concrete" is interpreted. Crushed and burned gypsum or limestone was
used to make crude cements in ancient times. Crushed, burned limestone is also referred to as lime. When sand and water were added to
these cements, they transformed into mortar, a plaster-like material used to adhere stones together. These materials were improved,
combined with other materials, and eventually morphed into modern concrete over thousands of years.

 The precursor to concrete was invented in about 1300 BC when Middle Eastern builders found that when they coated the outsides of
their pounded-clay fortresses and home walls with a thin, damp coating of burned limestone, it reacted chemically with gases in the air
to form a hard, protective surface. This wasn’t concrete, but it was the beginning of the development of cement.
 Early cementitious composite materials typically included mortar-crushed, burned limestone, sand, and water, and were used for stone
construction rather than casting the material in a mold, which is essentially how modern concrete is used, with the mold serving as the
concrete forms.
Cultures across the globe have made these and other buildings with concrete and concrete-like substances.
Because the material has changed over the years, it’s hard to say how long concrete has been around. Through a
rough timeline, we know that it’s existed for thousands of years before the common era. Cultures have used
concrete throughout the years:

 6,500 B.C.- This year was roughly when the first concrete-like buildings were made. Bedouins created these historical concrete structures in modern-day
Syria and Jordan. The early beginnings set the stage for improved techniques over time.
 3,000 B.C.-During this time, Egyptians used mud mixed with straw to create an adobe-like building material. They also developed and used gypsum and
lime mortars to bind the adobe bricks together. Around the same time, builders in China were using a form of cement created with sticky rice.
 700 B.C.- The Bedouins discovered cement that hardens underwater and created kilns for producing mortar around this time. They used that mortar to
help construct floors, houses and other structures. During this time, they also began tamping the concrete material and had an understanding that the
substance wouldn’t work as well if it were too saturated.
 600 B.C.- The Greeks discovered a natural substance that can create concrete when they mixed it with lime. While they got use out of the substance, they
weren’t as advanced with concrete techniques as other cultures were.
 200 B.C.- By this time, the Romans had perfected building with concrete, though in a different way than we use it today. The Romans would create most of
a structure with loose rocks and material, cementing them together with mortar. They even used cosmetic bricks in combination with their version of
cement. Using non-structural blocks established concrete as a purposeful and aesthetic product.
 1414- The collapse of the Roman Empire made the interest in concrete dormant until manuscripts explaining the substance resurfaced during this year.
With that, came a new appreciation for the building material. This year serves as one of the many turning points in the history of concrete. It started the
chain reaction for the discovery of new ways to make and use concrete for centuries to come.
 1793-John Smeaton created a more efficient method of producing hydraulic lime in 1793. The product was used to help cement set, and the modernized
production made it easier to make concrete and have it set quickly.
 1793- John Smeaton created a more efficient method of producing hydraulic lime in 1793. The product was used to help cement set, and the modernized
production made it easier to make concrete and have it set quickly.