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"I looked in, and there indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate, as stated by the messenger. The box in which they lay was formed by laying stones together in some kind of cement. In the bottom of the box were laid two stones crossways of the box, and on these stones lay the plates and the other things with them." -- Joseph Smith History, v. 52
It wasn't until 1845, that the first publication was produced that included the discovery of cement in ancient Mesoamerican construction. It was written by John Lloyd Stephens in his work titled Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan, which chronicles his journey to Central America that he started in 1839.[1]
"And there being but little timber upon the face of the land, nevertheless the people who went forth became exceedingly expert in the working of cement; therefore they did build houses of cement, in the which they did dwell."
"And there being but little timber upon the face of the land, nevertheless the people who went forth became exceedingly expert in the working of cement; therefore they did build houses of cement, in the which they did dwell."
-- Helaman 3:7
-- Helaman 3:7
Ancient organo-mineral geopolymer in South-American Monuments: Organic matter in andesite stone. SEM and petrographic evidence: Joseph Davidovits & Luis E. Huaman, April 2019, Ceramics International, 45:7385-7389 or DOI:10.1016/j.ceramint.2019.01.024
A radiocarbon date was obtained by Alexei Vranich from organic material from the deepest and oldest layer of mound-fill forming the Pumapunku. This layer was deposited during the first of three construction epochs, and dates the initial construction of the Pumapunku to AD 536–600. Vranich's experience developing advanced techniques for computer modeling and geomatics of historical sites has been supported by the National Science Foundation Research (grant for $1,000,200) for work at Tiwanaku/Pumapunku, in Bolivia
"And the people who were in the land northward did dwell in tents, and in houses of cement, and they did suffer whatsoever tree should spring up upon the face of the land that it should grow up, that in time they might have timber to build their houses, yea, their cities, and their temples, and their synagogues, and their sanctuaries, and all manner of their buildings."
"And thus they did enable the people in the land northward that they might build many cities, both of wood and of cement."
Vranich, A. Reconstructing ancient architecture at Tiwanaku, Bolivia: the potential and promise of 3D printing. Herit Sci 6, 65 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-018-0231-0
By 1929 ancient cement use had become common knowledge in the United States. Heber J. Grant, then president of the church, acknowledged it's existence in the archeological record in the April conference of the church. In his comment he shared an early experience in his life which is just as easily applied today:
"when I was a young unmarried man, another young man who had received a doctor's degree ridiculed me for believing in the Book of Mormon. He said he could point out two lies in that book. One was that the people had built their homes out of cement and that they were very skilful in the use of cement. He said there had never been found and never would be found, a house built of cement by the ancient inhabitants of this country, because the people in that early age knew nothing about cement. He said that should be enough to make one disbelieve the book. I said: 'That does not affect my faith one particle. I read the Book of Mormon prayerfully and supplicated God for a testimony in my heart and soul of the divinity of it, and I have accepted it and believe it with all my heart.' I also said to him, 'If my children do not find cement houses, I expect that my grandchildren will.' "[2]
Temple of the Sun at Teotihuacan[7] is one of the largest pyramids ever built and has floors made of concrete and walls that were covered in cement stucco.[8]
Wall of the Coricancha temple, at Cuzco, the capital city of the Inca Empire.
Sacsayhuamán in 1877 by Ephraim George Squier.
Twelve-angled stone in the Hatun Rumiyoc street of Cusco
NOTES:
NOTES:
http://www.evidencesofmormon.org/evidences/book-of-mormon-cement.aspx
Alexei Vranich website: https://www.dralexei.com
Podcast from The Ancients (on spotify) General talk on Tiwanaku
Voyage to the American Stonehenge : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki79R_Cw1-w
Brien Foerster - https://www.youtube.com/@brienfoerster/search?query=Pumapunku
Encyclopedia Britannica: "Romans recognized the value of cement, which they made from pozzolanic tuff, a volcanic ash. Mixed with water, lime, and stone fragments, the cement was expanded into concrete."
The noun concrete could not appear in the Book of Mormon because it didn't exist in the English language until 1834, four years after the book was published. Up until that first appearance as a noun it existed as an adjective only. SRC - Concrete, Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed 03/29/2014
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