you should use no mortar if you want it to last 1000 years. dry stack your stones.

Ti kanoun 2 ellhnes sta comms gia SCMs?

It’s the same chemistry and period table the world around for 10k years. You’re either exploiting the quicklime reaction or the pozzolanic reaction or some combination of the two.. depending on your access to geology

Wood ash cement or quicklime temped with the brick dust

They are being sort of dishonest in saying modern concretes are “superior”. They might be superior at generating industry, but not as a building mortar and concrete technology. The first issue is them skipping from “Roman concrete” to modern hydraulic products: by volume of use, most human structures up to 1900 are hot mixed quicklime and earth. Sometimes modified with poz. The knowledge was never Roman. The only thing Roman was industrial scale and military application…. They did pick it up as one of their technologies, as every building culture did. It was used all thru the Middle Ages in the levant, china, France, etc. never Roman never lost. Always the main technology for human scale building. Plasters, mortars, and cast things.

John Smeaton who was fully familiar with all manner of concrete chemistry and their use by craft guilds thru his recent history…. Writes from 1800, that “Roman concrete was lost”

@@KurtisHord Thank you for your reply. Some interesting points that you bring up. I would take me time to reply categorically. I am not sure if they are dishonest in their assumption of the moderns concrete superiority. I am sure that if there is any mistake in their knowledge it is due to the information sources used. Nevertheless, in school we have learned about the ancient construction methods, although to be honest I do not remember half of that, and the point of the superiority of the portlant cement was its thermal expansion and strength and compatibility with steel; These all sum for the what, I think I understood you meant as generating industry. And about the romans, they surely did not invent the concrete but the way they made it popular one. I have read that the minoans used it for baths. Interesting point you bring up with the earth, I am not sure it will make same chemical bond with the lime as lets say crushed ceramic pots, vulcanic ash whatever (As is the one found in some places in germany). But all what you say is very interesting I would like to read about it if you can recommend smth. to me. For example I have read that the romans made a sort of rubble concrete out of it, making the mixture rathe dry compacting it and puting layers of stones; And also some brick separators (in some cases as external layer) every meter or so. Very similar to the middle ages wall construction (at least the one I've seen).

@@TheTransfix so…. Understand the folks who invented engineering trades, had an agenda to say they were superior and craft practices of builders prior to them were not to be trusted. I am a builder that works with 9th century methods and materials. So I have my own agenda to promote human centered building knowledge rather than corporate or industrial

@@TheTransfix the best scholar is dr Robyn Pender and the best chemist is Nigel copsey