Built To Last

from AP

How are ancient Roman and Mayan buildings still standing? Scientists are unlocking their secrets

BY MADDIE BURAKOFF

Rome’s Pantheon is seen on Monday, July 24, 2023. The structure was built under Roman Emperor Augustus between 27-25 B.C. to celebrate all gods worshipped in ancient Rome and rebuilt under Emperor Hadrian between 118 and 128 A.D. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

NEW YORK (AP) — In the quest to build better for the future, some are looking for answers in the long-ago past.

Ancient builders across the world created structures that are still standing today, thousands of years later — from Roman engineers who poured thick concrete sea barriers, to Maya masons who crafted plaster sculptures to their gods, to Chinese builders who raised walls against invaders.

Yet scores of more recent structures are already staring down their expiration dates: The concrete that makes up much of our modern world has a lifespan of around 50 to 100 years.

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