---
title: "Ingredients of olden and modern concrete"
subject: "Concrete Technology and Masonry Structure"
chapter: 1
key: "semester_5/concrete_technology_and_masonry_structure:olden-modern-concrete"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/concrete_technology_and_masonry_structure/olden-modern-concrete
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Ingredients of olden and modern concrete

Concrete Technology and Masonry Structure · Chapter 1: Introduction to concrete and concrete materials

- Asked in: 2070 Chaitra, 4 marks
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/concrete_technology_and_masonry_structure/olden-modern-concrete
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_5/concrete_technology_and_masonry_structure/chapter-1

## Question

What are the ingredients of olden age concrete and modern age concrete? Explain the use of concrete as a structural material.

## Short answer

Ancient concrete used lime–pozzolana binder with stone/brick aggregate and sometimes organic additives. Modern concrete uses Portland cement, graded aggregates, controlled water, and chemical/mineral admixtures, often reinforced. It is the primary structural material because it is strong in compression, moldable, durable, fire-resistant, and reinforced to handle tension.

## Answer

#### Ingredients of olden age concrete
Ancient builders (Egyptians, Greeks, Romans) used:
- **Lime** (slaked lime) mixed with **volcanic ash (pozzolana)** or crushed burnt clay brick (surkhi) as the binder; gypsum was used in Egypt.
- Broken stone, brick bats and sand as aggregates.
- Water, and sometimes organic additives such as animal fat, milk, blood or egg whites to improve workability and durability.

Roman lime-pozzolana concrete structures (e.g. the Pantheon) are still standing.

#### Ingredients of modern concrete
- **Portland cement** (OPC/PPC) as the binder (patented by Joseph Aspdin in 1824).
- Graded **fine and coarse aggregates**.
- Controlled **water** (w/c ratio).
- **Admixtures**: chemical (plasticisers, superplasticisers, retarders, air-entraining agents) and mineral (fly ash, silica fume, slag).
- Steel reinforcement or fibres for tension.

#### Concrete as a structural material
Concrete is strong in compression, durable, fire-resistant and economical; it can be moulded into any shape using local materials, and when reinforced with steel it carries both compression and tension. It is therefore the main material for foundations, frames, slabs, bridges, dams and pavements.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Olden age concrete binder was:
   A. Portland cement
   B. Bitumen only
   C. Steel fibres
   D. Lime with pozzolana (volcanic ash)
   Answer: D. Romans used lime-pozzolana. (Key point: Olden binder)

2. Modern concrete uses which binder?
   A. Portland cement
   B. Gypsum only
   C. Slaked lime
   D. Clay
   Answer: A. Invented by Joseph Aspdin, 1824. (Key point: Modern binder)

3. Which are used in modern concrete but not olden?
   A. Water
   B. Admixtures and steel reinforcement
   C. Sand
   D. Stone
   Answer: B. Chemical and mineral admixtures and rebar are modern. (Key point: Modern additions)

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