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Roman Technology
The Romans built many roads throughout their empire. The roads made it easier to travel, move troops, and trade with faraway provinces. It also made it easier to collect taxes. Roman roads followed an exact design. The expression, “All Roads Lead To Rome” refers to the fact that Rome was the center of ancient civilization. Roman engineers brought water into the city
by building pipelines called aqueducts. Nine aqueducts provided the Roman
people with 38 million gallons of water every day. Parts of the Roman
aqueduct system still supply wate The Romans built many huge stadiums called amphitheaters. People would gather in amphitheaters to watch shows with clowns, jugglers, and acrobats. Some of Roman entertainment was very cruel. People would watch fights between wild animals and gladiators. Gladiators were usually slaves or criminals who fought with swords against animals or one another. A skillful gladiator might win his freedom by defeating an opponent. More often, the gladiators lost their lives. The greatest Roman amphitheater, the Colosseum, still dominates the Roman skyline. Only a portion of the Colosseum remains standing. Earthquakes have destroyed some of the structure. Also, engineers used some of the stone from the Colosseum to build later Roman buildings. Some of the stone used to build St. Peter’s basilica, the church in the Vatican where the Pope resides, came from the Colosseum. Perhaps the greatest Roman engineering achievement was the sewer. Because Rome is in a valley among seven hills, there is nowhere for dirty water to go. The sewer system made it possible for Rome to become the largest city in the world. The population of Rome swelled to more than one million people at the height of the empire. Today more than six million people live in Rome. |
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To cite this page: |
The
Romans used great public projects to make the city the most advanced of
the ancient world, and to create the largest empire of the era. Many of
the roads, bridges, and aqueducts of ancient Rome are still used today.
r
to fountains in Rome.