Historical Timeline of Concrete

The history of concrete is actually quite interesting. For example, did you know that the art and science of concrete was almost entirely lost after the fall of the Roman Empire? Concrete is, in fact, an ancient material dating back thousands of years. From the earliest use of cement some twelve million years ago to the rediscovery of cement in the early 1700s, let’s review the little-known history of cement. 

12 Million Years ago: Earliest known occurrence of cement. Deposits of cement were formed due to oil shale burning next to a bed of limestone. Although these deposits dated back millions of years, they were not discovered and researched until the 1970s. 

6500 BC: The earliest concrete structures were built by the Nabataea or Bedouins traders who, literally, built an empire in Syria and northern Jordan. 

5600 BC: Homes were being built along the Danube River (in what was formerly Yugoslavia) which used concrete floors. 

700 BC:  Kilns were being used to create mortar for the construction of homes, concrete floors, and water cisterns.  

200 BC: The Romans built an empire out of concrete. Although their concrete was very rudimentary (almost plastic-like), they were also creative and created cement from volcanic sand.  

125 AD: The Pantheon is erected. The structure has one the largest un-reinforced concrete domes ever created in history.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the art of Concrete was lost to mankind.

1756: The building blocks of concrete begin to re-emerge and John Smeaton rediscovers hydraulic cement. 

1824: Joseph Aspdin invents Portland cement! The material was aptly named “Portland” cement because it resembled the building materials found in Portland, England. 

1825: The commercial demand for concrete begins to soar. In the United States, the Erie Canal was commissioned to be built out of cement. 

The Conco Companies one of the foremost suppliers of concrete services for the Western U.S. We got our start in 1959 in the Bay Area by offering clients the best value on a broad range of concrete services and products.  Since that time, we have taken a leading role as top concrete contractors in the region. We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado and Washington.