Concrete is perhaps the most versatile man-made material ever discovered. Its history dates back almost 9,000 years to the Syria and Jordan region where floors, houses, and underground cisterns were made from this amazing material. The ancient Romans then spread its use across their empire, though after the fall of Rome, the process was lost for hundreds of years until around 1414. But as far as modern concrete is concerned, we have to thank Joseph Aspdin, who invented Portland cement in 1824, something we are still using to this day.