Bitumen: Babylon's Ancient Waterproofing

Long before modern road surfacing, the Sumerians were using natural bitumen, a form of asphalt, as mortar between bricks, as glue for carvings, and even to secure the eyes of statues. The Babylonians took it further, waterproofing ships, temples, and entire city walls. According to Herodotus, the massive walls of Babylon were sealed with hot bitumen, and by c. 800 BCE, Queen Semiramis used the same material to line the Euphrates Tunnel, making it one of history's first waterproof megastructures.

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