11.000-Year-Old Concrete Artificial Stone at Göbekli Tepe
Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or pre-cast, a type of ancient man-made artificial concrete, made with limestone fragments embedded in a lime mortar.
2024-07-05 22:00:00 - Ancient Architects
This 'artificial stone' mixture, what some call a geopolymer, was used between 11,000 to 12,000 years ago, a genuine ancient technology and innovation before humans had even invented pottery and is found at Göbekli Tepe, Çayönü Tepesi and Nevali Çori, and as I show in this video, I believe it was also used at Karahan Tepe.
Crushed limestone in the mortar gave the floors added strength and also a mottled appearance but the ancient people would have had to manufacture the lime mortar first of all.
When the terrazzo floor of Çayönü was analysed, the mortar contained burned and slaked limestone, which was produced using extremely high temperatures, around 870 degrees, meaning there must have been kilns to fire the crushed limestone.
This video is a fascinating and fact-based look at how the Pre-Pottery Neolithic people of ancient Anatolia made amazing stone-like floors in special buildings, many thousands and thousands of years ago.