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Fires In Rome


Lost_Warrior

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I've always wondered this, as it is a well known fact that parts of Rome were destroyed by fire, including the Senate building on several occasions. Now, wooden buildings aside, how did this happen? Many of the buildings which were destroyed were built of marble or concrete, yet they were "burnt to the ground". How is it possible for marble to be burned completly? Or was it a case of "the building burnt so now the townspeople grab all of the leftover materials for their own use"? :whistling:

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I've always wondered this, as it is a well known fact that parts of Rome were destroyed by fire, including the Senate building on several occasions. Now, wooden buildings aside, how did this happen? Many of the buildings which were destroyed were built of marble or concrete, yet they were "burnt to the ground". How is it possible for marble to be burned completly? Or was it a case of "the building burnt so now the townspeople grab all of the leftover materials for their own use"? B)

 

The discussion in this thread may help a bit... Fires of 64

 

Additionally stone may not 'burn to the ground" per se, but heat can still cause major structural damage to the compounds holding various stones together as well as the stone itself if hot enough, fire and ash can seriously stain the stone as well as destroy exterior painting, glasswork etc. In this regard, a stone building may not necessarily fall to the ground from 'burning', but it may become an eyesore at best, be rendered structurally unsound requiring repair, or be toppled by the intense heat.

 

I'm certainly no physics expert however.

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I suppose. I just didn't think that it would happen with the frequency that it seems to have happened in Rome :rolleyes: Although it makes sense that the building could become so unstable that it falls even if the stone doesn't "burn"

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  • 3 weeks later...

Most buildings were wooden framed and therefore vulnerable to structural failures when fire rages. The marble/brick/stone was often facing material and not load bearing. Stones can actually melt if they're soft and the temperature is high enough. Not liquify perhaps, but certainly distort. Stones with air pockets can actually burst apart.

 

Obviously the more stout constructions such as temples were not wooden framed.

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Air bubbles heat up, air expands, block fractures, building tumbles. Fires were one of the most feared disasters in the ancient world because they were so destructive and happened a lot more frequently than any other. What about tornadoes? :thumbsup: I have never heard any ancient accounts of tornadoes!

 

(Way to change the topic Antiochus...)

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I'm sure they do, but tornadoes really don't make international television... Ahh, us Americans are so ignorant. Dear Europeans, do you guys have tornadoes?

 

The only tornado that happens where i liive is when the kids come home from school!!! Well the house looks like its been hit by a tornado anyway ;)

 

 

Thats about as close as we in the U.K get anyway

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There is some cases of Tornado's in Europe but there not the big one's that cause damage,its very rare for the big fast one to touch down, but it does happen occasionaly.

Tornado's in Britain

Torro.

 

 

I remember watching the Whirlwinds (thats what we called them) forming in the loose hay on the farmers fields when we were kids.They look like mini Tornados but they cause no damage you can even play in them ;) .

 

L

Edited by longbow
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