Historical Hardening: Preserving Boise’s Iconic Concrete Structures
Historically, steel has been hardened using carbon. This process is called Case Hardening and it creates a harder surface that resists wear.
This is the second post in a series that examines security and IT practices beyond Secure Technology Implementation Guides (STIGs). Read the intro post here.
The Peloponnesian Tombs
When University of Cincinnati archaeologists began excavating in an olive grove northeast of Pylos in 2015, they knew they were in the presence of something special. The team soon uncovered part of a massive limestone structure—the largest tholos tomb known to date—which was built around c. 570 to 560 BCE.
A tholos was a circular burial chamber (called a tholamos) with an interior dome that could be decorated and crowned with a low cornice. Often, these tombs included gutters running the length of their walls for offerings to be poured into them. click here for more information.
The Greeks
Although 20th Century concrete masterpieces are highly visible in the city’s landscape, they often receive little attention. This is largely due to a lack of awareness among citizens about their tangible cultural heritage. Notable Greeks include Renaissance painter Dominikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco), theatre and cinema actors Marika Kotopouli, Melina Mercouri and Ellie Lambeti, architects Stamatis Kleanthis, Lysandros Kaftanzoglou and George Candilis and urban planners Stamatis Pikionis and Georgios Kanellopoulos.
Case-hardening involves heating the metal and immersing it in a compound that is high in carbon such as bone meal, hoofs and horn. Using these …