Lynne Lancaster, an associate professor in the Department of Classics and World Religions at Ohio University, will discuss the development of several structural techniques in ancient Rome in a lecture titled "Technological Innovation in Imperial Rome: What Can Ancient Concrete Tell Us about Roman Society?" These techniques, which included the use of lightweight volcanic materials, metal tie bars, and external buttressing arches, contributed to the Romans' ability to create such structures as the Colosseum and the Pantheon.
Lancaster will relate these techniques to social and environmental changes in the Roman Empire, such as the explosion of Mount Vesuvius and the development of the marble trade.
The lecture is sponsored by the Mellon Humanities Corridor and the Departments of Religion and Classics, History, Mechanical Engineering, and Art and Art History at the University.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact (585) 275-4069 or rlp@me.rochester.edu.