Ben Carson - "Joseph Built Pyramids to Store Grain"

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by Boreas

And some polls show that idiot savant ahead of Clinton!

They say that one of the things that destroyed the Roman Empire is that the Romans basically went slowly nuts because of the lead pipes they used fortheir drinking water. Maybe Fox News will prove to be our lead pipe.

Years back I was in the old German town of Rottenburg and while excavating for some power lines (I think) they came across some old Roman water pipes but they were wood not lead.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Years back I was in the old German town of Rottenburg and while excavating for some power lines (I think) they came across some old Roman water pipes but they were wood not lead.

Good to see you posting, Rob!

It could be that, being more or less a backwater in terms of the Roman Empire, the cheaper alternative of wood was used in Germany. It's also possible that, unless they were dated by C14, the wooden pipes might have been later. Wooden pipes have been used extensively in both Europe and North America from probably the Middle Ages until quite recently.

[JJIII]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Good to see you posting, Rob!

It could be that, being more or less a backwater in terms of the Roman Empire, the cheaper alternative of wood was used in Germany. It's also possible that, unless they were dated by C14, the wooden pipes might have been later. Wooden pipes have been used extensively in both Europe and North America from probably the Middle Ages until quite recently.

More on that here. http://www.forestryforum.com/board/i...?topic=31294.0

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by JJIII

More on that here. http://www.forestryforum.com/board/i...?topic=31294.0

One point in that thread that's interesting is that wood is susceptible to moisture. We all know that wet wood will rot but it won't necessarily rot if it stays wet, stays waterlogged. (Elm was mentioned specifically.) This is apparently why wooden pipes work as well as they do and it's also why we find the submerged or buried remains of ancient wooden ships in surprisingly high states of preservation.

Keep it wet and reduce the amount of free oxygen and wood can last a very long time. After it dries out, however, things can go downhill fast.