ABSTRACT
Abstract Nobody concerned with concretes in this century can afford not to care about their durability. The international "concrete crisis" of the last decade seems to bring about intensive research efforts. Throughout the history of cementitious materials, excellent resistance to attack by the environment always plays an important role. Ancient analogues provide examples of intelligent use of the available knowledge of technology to properly specify and produce a cement matrix that is durable, which also provides a potential source of information useful for predicting long-term durability of modern cements. The status of the Pyramids in Egypt, the Acropolis in Athens, and the Taj Mahal in India show the effects of environmental impact and pollution. The decay of concrete is closely related to the geologic process of natural rock weathering. Key words: Ancient analogues, chemical weathering, Roman Concrete, Taj Mahal, Acropolis, Pyramids, pozzolana.
