Paver history began to be in use approximately 5000 years ago in Giza, Egypt where the oldest known paved road is said to exist. It was used as a connector between the quarry where the product for the Great Pyramids was extracted to the installation site 7.5 miles away. Limestone and sandstone along with logs created the road to transport massive blocks without getting buried in the sandy soil thus starting pavers history.
By 500 BC, Romans began to use segmented pavers. The paver history of roman armies transported troops and equipment easier compared to having to traverse the muddy roads during rainy season or the dusty conditions during dry seasons. The Romans embedded crushed stone or landscape rocks as the foundation. Then, capstones with six sides were placed upon the foundation. Sometimes, river stones were used. At its peak, there was 80,500 km of paved stone road out of the 400,000 roads in Rome.
The idea spread across Europe and variations were used including combining crushed stones, clay, and pavers to create these roads. Cobblestone road construction was common through the 18th century.
After World War II, reconstruction of the damage from the battles was a priority. Roads were rebuilt or fixed using paving stones because they were durable and weather-resistant. The Dutch population needed to replace their clay brick streets, so they began to craft small concrete blocks with consistent sizes which today are still called Holland Stones. From Germany in the 1960s, Fritz Von Langsdorff made pavers in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. And notably, he thought to use concrete and make the pavers interlocking. This innovation made pavers more affordable.
By the 1970s, interlocking pavers were spreading across the US and Canada and were an immediate hit. Today, over 1000 pavers a second are being manufactured.
