They gave us roads, sanitation systems, much of the basis of the language we speak, and how we calculate distances and numbers. They pioneered underfloor heating systems and introduced the idea of public baths, but to paraphrase the famous Monty Python sketch, what did the Romans ever do for circularity and reuse? The Roman Empire at its peak spanned three continents, stretching from Egypt in the south east to Roman Britain and Hadrian’s Wall in the north west. They created new forms of architectural design, constructing aqueducts, expansive villas and amphitheatres. They undertook complex and sophisticated civil engineering projects, designed to project and maintain the power of the Roman military and celebrate the glory of Rome. Roman builders utilised naturally occurring and locally available materials, chiefly stone, timber and marble. They also developed techniques for baking bricks and making some of the first concretes. They made long lasting mortars for brickwork and stone using quicklime, and it is a testament to Roman builders that we can still see the remains of Roman buildings and structures right across the expanse of the territories they conquered. There is plenty of Roman concrete surviving today, even in challenging environments. Volcanic dusts, called pozzolana, made the concrete more resistant to salt water than modern-day concrete. Examples include the ruins at Empúries in Catalonia , with further evidence of circularity in the harvesting of materials from the Greek settlement dating from 500 BC. As the photos below testify, concrete, bricks and even ceramic pipework can last for thousands of years…