Ancient Phoenician Builders Used Concrete-Like Plaster Before the Romans

Ancient Phoenician Builders Used Concrete-Like Plaster Before the Romans

Reconstruction of the wine press at Tell el-Burak, looking from the south-east. Credit: Tell el-Burak Archaeological Project / Drawing by O. Bruderer Archaeologists in southern Lebanon have uncovered what they say is the earliest known example of hydraulic lime plaster in Phoenician architecture. The material, discovered at the Iron Age site of Tell el-Burak, predates Roman concrete and shows advanced engineering and sustainability practices rar…