Question

how roman harbors have stood the test of time
built to last
the circular harbor at caesarea, which sits on the coast of israel, was constructed in less than 10 years, from roughly 23 to 15 b.c., on the order of king herod, ruler of the roman province of judaea. the site chosen was an unobstructed length of coastline with no natural geographic features to break the waves rolling into shore or protect ships. the port’s construction was nothing short of a roman engineering marvel, comparable to the colosseum or the aqueducts.
2
much of the vast structure, which includes two breakwaters, 1 three underwater piers that once held large statues, and a 60-foot-wide entrance for ships, stands today. the scholar josephus, description, written nearly 2,000 years ago, still rings true: “herod contended with the difficulties so well that the sea could not overcome the solidity of the construction.”
3
the trick to caesarea’s longevity was the concrete used to build the harbor. for more than a decade, john oleson, a classical archaeologist at the university of victoria, in british columbia, has pursued the secrets of roman harbors and their impressive durability. “people have been studying roman concrete for 500 or 600 years, but they haven’t done much with the concrete in the sea because it’s more difficult to access. also, until recently, people thought it was not as important as what you find on land,” says oleson.
as head of the roman maritime study (or romacons), oleson, along with university of colorado boulder maritime archaeologist bob hohfelder and british architect chris brandon, examined samples from several ancient roman ports. they found that there was, in fact, a key ingredient that made the material uniquely suited to hold up to the underwater environment.

select three details from the passage that best develop the idea that volcanic materials were used extensively throughout the roman empire.

1. “he describes a substance found near baia, a resort town on the bay of naples, and around mount vesuvius” (paragraph 6)
2. “the researchers took cores, measuring four inches in diameter and up to 20 feet long” (paragraph 7)
3. “relied on the pozzolana for maritime construction for two centuries” (paragraph 11)
4. “he suggests that its presence in ports as far east as caesarea and alexandria” (paragraph 11)
5. “the reactivity of bay of naples pozzolana was well known in antiquity” (paragraph 13)
6. “is a mediterranean-wide trade that is being used to build the ports” (paragraph 13)

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option against the passage's focus on volcanic materials (pazzolana) in Roman harbors:

1. Option 1: Talks about a resort town, not volcanic materials in Roman harbors. Eliminate.
2. Option 2: Discusses core measurements, not volcanic materials’ use. Eliminate.
3. Option 3: Mentions “pozzolana for maritime construction” – pozzolana is a volcanic material, and this connects to harbor building. Relevant.
4. Option 4: Discusses presence in ports, not volcanic material use. Eliminate.
5. Option 5: States “reactivity of Bay of Naples pozzolana” – pozzolana is volcanic, and this details its properties for use. Relevant.
6. Option 6: Mentions “Mediterranean - wide trade… used to build the ports” – implies volcanic material (pozzolana) was used in port construction across the region. Relevant.

Answer:

1. "relied on the pozzolana for maritime construction for two centuries" (Paragraph 11)
2. "The reactivity of Bay of Naples pozzolana was well known in antiquity" (Paragraph 13)
3. "is a Mediterranean - wide trade that is being used to build the ports" (Paragraph 13)