How do ancient buildings survive hundreds of years of natural disasters e.g. earthquakes?
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Survivor bias. Damn near all, like 99.99999999999999% of ancient buildings did not survive time alone, let alone disasters.
If you’re asking how those that did survive did it: Heavy sturdy materials that aren’t fastened. As in gravity holds it together, rather than being designed to withstand gravity. You are just used to our modern way of doing things as cheap as possible with better engineering.
If you want more can you give a specific example of which structure? Each structure usually has its own engineering problems and solutions.
They don’t. Earthquakes are the #1 reason ancient buildings aren’t around anymore. I was looking a while back at the seven wonders of the ancient world, and earthquakes appear to be the biggest culprit in why only one of them is still around. As others have noted, the sheer massive size of the pyramids is why they are the only one left standing. The reason the Colosseum looks like it does today is because of an earthquake; nonetheless the structure was massive enough to last until the Twentieth Century (where now it would be preserved and rebuilt because of the heritage value)
No building can last thousands of years. The ones that are still around are there because they are constantly undergoing rebuilding and rebuilding over the years. If you want a building to last for thousands of years, you shouldn’t think about engineering issues but rather cultural importance. Buildings that have meanings to people are the ones that stand the test of time–an intangible factor that has nothing to do with how they’re built or what they’re made out of (c.f. the rebuilding of Notre Dame). Of course, ancient buildings were generally sturdier as others have mentioned because they were usually (over)built out of load-bearing stone.
Many buildings are actually a [Ship of Theseus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus) scenario. An example is [Byōdō-in](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By%C5%8Dd%C5%8D-in) temple in Japan, which is constantly rebuilt. When I visited Europe, it seemed like every other cathedral in the city center was covered in scaffolding. Buildings like that don’t just survive without human intervention. Most buildings ever built are gone, and most buildings that exist today were built after World War 2.
There are some earthquake-resistant building techniques from ancient times: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220825-kath-kuni-the-himalayas-ancient-earthquake-defying-design
Survivor bias. We don’t often think of all the buildings that did not survive, so it is easy to believe all the old buildings did survive.
Also, people back in history weren’t clueless about this stuff. They would know whether an area is prone to flooding or earthquakes and would probably avoid building there. Or at least that applies to the buildings that survived. See, I just explained survivor bias and then immediately fell for it myself.
Survivor bias. We don’t often think of all the buildings that did not survive, so it is easy to believe all the old buildings did survive.
Also, people back in history weren’t clueless about this stuff. They would know whether an area is prone to flooding or earthquakes and would probably avoid building there. Or at least that applies to the buildings that survived. See, I just explained survivor bias and then immediately fell for it myself.
They don’t. Earthquakes are the #1 reason ancient buildings aren’t around anymore. I was looking a while back at the seven wonders of the ancient world, and earthquakes appear to be the biggest culprit in why only one of them is still around. As others have noted, the sheer massive size of the pyramids is why they are the only one left standing. The reason the Colosseum looks like it does today is because of an earthquake; nonetheless the structure was massive enough to last until the Twentieth Century (where now it would be preserved and rebuilt because of the heritage value)
No building can last thousands of years. The ones that are still around are there because they are constantly undergoing rebuilding and rebuilding over the years. If you want a building to last for thousands of years, you shouldn’t think about engineering issues but rather cultural importance. Buildings that have meanings to people are the ones that stand the test of time–an intangible factor that has nothing to do with how they’re built or what they’re made out of (c.f. the rebuilding of Notre Dame). Of course, ancient buildings were generally sturdier as others have mentioned because they were usually (over)built out of load-bearing stone.
Many buildings are actually a [Ship of Theseus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus) scenario. An example is [Byōdō-in](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By%C5%8Dd%C5%8D-in) temple in Japan, which is constantly rebuilt. When I visited Europe, it seemed like every other cathedral in the city center was covered in scaffolding. Buildings like that don’t just survive without human intervention. Most buildings ever built are gone, and most buildings that exist today were built after World War 2.
There are some earthquake-resistant building techniques from ancient times: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220825-kath-kuni-the-himalayas-ancient-earthquake-defying-design
Survivor bias. We don’t often think of all the buildings that did not survive, so it is easy to believe all the old buildings did survive.
Also, people back in history weren’t clueless about this stuff. They would know whether an area is prone to flooding or earthquakes and would probably avoid building there. Or at least that applies to the buildings that survived. See, I just explained survivor bias and then immediately fell for it myself.
They don’t. Earthquakes are the #1 reason ancient buildings aren’t around anymore. I was looking a while back at the seven wonders of the ancient world, and earthquakes appear to be the biggest culprit in why only one of them is still around. As others have noted, the sheer massive size of the pyramids is why they are the only one left standing. The reason the Colosseum looks like it does today is because of an earthquake; nonetheless the structure was massive enough to last until the Twentieth Century (where now it would be preserved and rebuilt because of the heritage value)
No building can last thousands of years. The ones that are still around are there because they are constantly undergoing rebuilding and rebuilding over the years. If you want a building to last for thousands of years, you shouldn’t think about engineering issues but rather cultural importance. Buildings that have meanings to people are the ones that stand the test of time–an intangible factor that has nothing to do with how they’re built or what they’re made out of (c.f. the rebuilding of Notre Dame). Of course, ancient buildings were generally sturdier as others have mentioned because they were usually (over)built out of load-bearing stone.
Many buildings are actually a [Ship of Theseus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus) scenario. An example is [Byōdō-in](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By%C5%8Dd%C5%8D-in) temple in Japan, which is constantly rebuilt. When I visited Europe, it seemed like every other cathedral in the city center was covered in scaffolding. Buildings like that don’t just survive without human intervention. Most buildings ever built are gone, and most buildings that exist today were built after World War 2.
There are some earthquake-resistant building techniques from ancient times: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220825-kath-kuni-the-himalayas-ancient-earthquake-defying-design
Survivor bias. The ones you see are some combination of the strongest, most expensive materials, highest quality labor… but also have a degree of luck. Perhaps location, perhaps weather, perhaps the rock beneath their foundation.
Survivor bias. The ones you see are some combination of the strongest, most expensive materials, highest quality labor… but also have a degree of luck. Perhaps location, perhaps weather, perhaps the rock beneath their foundation.
Survivor bias. The ones you see are some combination of the strongest, most expensive materials, highest quality labor… but also have a degree of luck. Perhaps location, perhaps weather, perhaps the rock beneath their foundation.
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