the.com/asphalt
the black blood of civilization, poured hot so we can pretend the ground was always flat
means A black, sticky, tar-like substance, usually mixed with gravel or sand, used to pave roads and surface surfaces.
from From the Greek 'asphaltos,' meaning a secure or firm substance — built on 'a-' (not) plus a root tied to 'sphallein' (to make fall or totter), so literally 'that which won't let you slip.' The Greeks knew the natural bitumen that seeped from the ground, the same gluey pitch the ancients used to waterproof boats and bind bricks. It traveled through Latin and Old French before settling into English.
- older than wheels
- Used by Mesopotamians 6,000 years ago as waterproof glue
- self-healing
- Cracks can fuse back together under summer heat
- recycled king
- Most reused material in America by weight
- oil leftover
- It is the gunk left after refining crude
- noah connection
- Bible's pitch coating the ark was likely natural asphalt
interstate 95 — longest highway on the us east coast at 1,924 miles, running from florida to maine
pennsylvania turnpike — oldest toll highway in the us, opened 1940, 360 miles across pennsylvania
autobahn — german highway system with sections having no speed limits, totaling 8,100 miles