Unless
you've been living under a rock, you simply can't miss asphalt. The
slick black substance comprises the very roads you drive on, as well
as the shingles found on many homes. However, before it ended up
beneath your feet and above your head, the ancients had quite
different uses for asphalt.
In
those days, asphalt went by another name: bitumen. The black pitch
was commonly used to coat baskets and to waterproof ship hulls. The
Sumerians even used the stuff as mortar to secure bricks in place.
When refined and hardened, bitumen could be sculpted. Recent
discoveries, meanwhile, point out that bitumen was wrongly thought to
have been the stuff that the ancient Egyptians used to embalm their
dead and during the mummification process.
Yet
how exactly did a multipurpose product discovered in the ancient
world end up as today's preferred road-building material? The answer
lies in asphalt's unique characteristics. Aside from being
exceptionally waterproof, asphalt is also incredibly durable and
resistant to wear and tear so long as it is dried properly. It also
holds up rather well against extreme temperatures. Indeed, asphalt
has come a long way since ancient times and continues to benefit
humanity in a number of different ways.
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