Ancient Roman Glue Sticks Around

"Analysis shows that the Roman glue was made of bitumen, bark pitch and animal grease," Willer said.

The finding confirms studies done by researchers at the University of Bradford and Liverpool, U.K., in the 1990s.

Analysis carried at that time on an ancient Roman jar showed that when Roman people broke their pots, they glued them back together with a compund "derived largely from birch bark."

So far, the German researchers have failed to recreate the Roman superglue.

"We think that some inorganic material such as soot, sand and quartz, might have been added to make the mixture stickier," Willer said.

Related Links:

Rossella Lorenzi's blog: Archaeorama

Ancient Rome

Howstuffworks.com: Glue