Mystery of the Temple of Venus is SOLVED after 2,000 years

"A new study reveals how the Temple of Venus has stood the test of time - and it suggests the Romans were even more clever than we gave them credit. The stunning octagonal structure at Baiae near Naples, southern Italy has stood for nearly 2,000 years in a geologically active area. Built to the orders of Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century, it features a great hall that served as a thermal building within a large complex of public baths."

"Scientists at the University of Naples Federico II have analysed samples around the structure's base to uncover what's made it so long-lasting. They found the Romans deliberately added volcanic materials as they knew it would make the 80ft-wide-building more durable. Roman builders selected different volcanic materials depending on the structural requirement, according to study author Dr Concetta Rispoli. 'The temple has remained standing because its geomaterials behave almost like a natural rock,' she told the Daily Mail. 'Instead of weakening, the materials continue to "lock together" and consolidate as they age.'"

"The temple is in a remarkable state of preservation despite being nearly 2,000 years old and in the Phlegraean Fields, a volcanic region affected by 'bradyseism' - the slow rising and sinking of Earth's surface caused by volcanic activity. Mysteriously, the material used to build the Temple of Venus in Naples has endured even as Earth's surface around it sank. Steady ground movement has lowered the temple to roughly 20 feet (six metres) below today's surface."

The Temple of Venus at Baiae near Naples has remained nearly 2,000 years in the volcanically active Phlegraean Fields. Emperor Hadrian commissioned the octagonal thermal hall in the 2nd century within a public-bath complex. Scientists analysed mortar, bricks, multiple volcanic stones and efflorescence from the structure's base using microscopy and X-rays to identify textures and chemical ingredients. The Romans deliberately chose and varied volcanic materials to meet structural requirements and added them to mortars. Those geomaterials behave like natural rock, consolidating and locking together over time, preserving the building despite bradyseism and about six metres of subsidence.

Read at Mail Online