History of Pavers
The concept of tightly-fitted paving units laid on a granular base is very old.
The first segmental pavements were built by the Minoans in 5000 B.C. However, systematic and detailed pavement construction arrived with the Roman era–about 2,000 years ago. With free labor and military dominance, the Romans built a 50,000-mile network of roads that withstood heavy traffic and harsh conditions, some of which are still in use today.
Remarkably, over the past 2,000 years, the world has not been able to make any essential improvements in road making. The reason the Roman roads have been so durable is because of the effort put into design and construction, both of which are integral to your Pavire driveway.
What makes Roman technology so remarkable?
There are many striking similarities between pavement compositions two thousand years ago and those of today. The Roman road had three distinct layers.
- The underlying layer of the pavement was called the agger, or “foundation.” This foundation consisted of a layer of “rubble” with stones laid in such a way as to provide a properly drained base.
- The road’s middle layer, or “rudus” was installed next. This material was finer and well compacted, and laid carefully, at times in successive layers. Sand and gravel(sometimes mixed with clay) were a common part of this middle layer, serving to lend the road resilience.
- Above these layers was the third and final layer or “pavimentum.” It consisted of large irregular polygonal shaped pieces of silex, which was the hardest stone available and easy to find in Rome. Most roads were defined by curb stones on each side, retaining the pavement.
Then and Now
Pavire uses these same three layers when creating your new driveway, for the same reasons the Roman’s did—unrivaled durability.
You can rest easy knowing your new driveway is constructed based on the same principles developed and used by the Romans to build roads that have stood the test of time for millennia.