Posted on 08/25/2025 3:39:14 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
In a major archaeological breakthrough, researchers have identified the earliest known use of hydraulic lime plaster in Phoenician architecture -- crafted not from volcanic ash like Roman concrete, but using recycled ceramic pottery. This discovery, made at the Iron Age site of Tell el-Burak in southern Lebanon, sheds light on ancient sustainability practices and high-level engineering previously unattributed to the Phoenicians.
The findings, published in Scientific Reports (2025), come from a multidisciplinary study of plaster samples collected from three installations, including a well-preserved wine press dating to ca. 725–600 BCE.Ancient Wine Infrastructure Built with Recycled PotteryLocated just 9 km south of Sidon, Tell el-Burak was a key agricultural hub for the Phoenician city-state. Among its most significant features is a massive wine press, consisting of a large grape treading basin connected to a 4,500-liter fermentation vat -- both covered in a specialized lime-based plaster.
What made this plaster extraordinary was its composition: crushed ceramic fragments -- likely broken amphorae -- intentionally added to the lime binder. These ceramic inclusions acted as pozzolanic material, reacting chemically with the lime to form a hydraulic mortar -- a material capable of setting and hardening in wet environments.
(Excerpt) Read more at arkeonews.net ...
Reconstruction of the wine press at Tell el-Burak.Credit: A. Orsingher et al., Antiquity (2020)
Wow. Ancient Roman gunnite!
Elissa of Tyre made her getaway on a horse she paid for with my money.
Some people are going to be very disappointed with this recreation. :)
And 2000 years before that, man used recycled trees for fire and rocks for tools. All thanks to climate change and tge lgbt+ community, including their allies.
Same allies that literally defeated Hitler.
They fought Climate Change!................
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