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The ancient Romans were an incredibly

intelligent group of people whose

architecture has greatly influenced building

throughout history, techniques used today,

and still manage to astound everyone with

their genius. Roman architecture exudes a

sense of extreme power and represents

relentless energy. The proof in their

magnificence is in the fact that many of

their structures still stand today hundreds

of years later. Even though the Romans’

math was rudimentary, the genius architects

and engineers used other means such as

models to figure out how forces and

different materials affected their

architecture. It is truly amazing what the

Romans were able to build with their

limited tools and resources that were

available to them. The ancient Romans

had such magnificent architecture because

their ingenious architects and engineers

were able to utilize new building materials

and techniques to make amazing

advancements.

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The Greeks and Etruscans were the predecessors of the Romans, and their architecture was a

basis the Romans could learn from and eventually evolve greatly. The Romans were able to break

out of the formal, stylized, and rectangular components of the Greeks and Etruscans architecture.

The beginning of Roman architecture started by combining the Etruscan and Greek styles which

resulted in a uniquely Roman style. The Romans actually learned about the arch from the

Etruscans which was a key component in future Roman architecture. All of their brilliant new

designs and feats made the Romans stand out from the ancient people and their predecessors.

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The Romans managed to figure out the perfect mixture for concrete and

were able to greatly use it to their advantage—most of their structures would

have never existed if they didn’t have concrete. This discovery opened a

wide array of new designs that could be created. The Romans concrete was

virtually the same as modern day concrete—it was a thick liquid that could

easily fill molds, set and harden quickly, withstand enormous amounts of

weight, and be practically indestructible. They used materials such as their

key ingredient, volcanic sand, and lime mortar mixed with water and small

stones. The Romans, with this material, could now make architectural

shapes previously unachievable and master how to create vast, open spaces

with no internal supports. This concrete also lasts such a long time that

many of their creations are still standing today even enduring the constant

wear and tear of flowing water for hundreds of years. The Romans magical

mixture for concrete is essentially what allowed them to make such a

massive architectural impact in history.

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The Pantheon is quite arguably the

greatest Roman structure built and one of

the best examples of how fantastic the

Romans’ concrete was. It shows how the

Romans were able to and not afraid to

push the limits of their concrete and

display its great capabilities. The

Pantheon is one of the most complete

and well preserved pieces of Roman

architecture. It consists of a Greek-styled

portico and a massive rotunda topped

with one of the most magnificent domes

of all time. The Romans changed the

mixture of the concrete as they traveled

up the building so each layer would be

lighter than the last so the building would

be able to stand. The most impressive

part of the Pantheon is the solid concrete

dome. It spans the 142 foot wide

spherical interior, and it took hundreds of

years for any architect to surpass its

mastery. The base of the dome is 23 feet

thick, and it gradually thins out to be 4

feet thick at the opening of the 30 foot

wide oculus, a circular opening at the top

of the dome. This helped greatly to

decrease the weight of the enormous

dome; coffers, sunken-in decorative

panels, were also used on the underside

of the dome to subtract weight and add a

great aesthetic. To contain much of the

thrust, a series of stepped rings were put

on the outside of the dome so it wouldn’t

buckle under the force. The ultimate

goal of the design of the Pantheon was

simplicity itself and all of the creativity of

the engineers and architects was needed

to pull it off. Even modern day architects

and engineers are completely baffled by

this magnificent structure and are still

trying to unlock the secrets of how it was

made.

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Another revolutionary breakthrough that made Roman architecture such a success was the arch. They

learned the concept of the arch from the Etruscans and then perfected its structure and stability to make it able to

support incredible amount of weight. The versatility of the arch was so vast that it was practically used in almost

every Roman structure. To build an arch, a wooden framework was made in the shape of the arch to lay the initial

arch stones, and by the force of sheer gravity, the stones would be able to support themselves with no mortar by

locking themselves into place. All of the thrust was pushed into the strong, stable piers to make the arch stronger.

The arch quickly evolved into barrel vaults, groin vaults, and domes. Barrel vaults were just a lateral extension

of the arch to make a covered hallway or building with no internal support; windows could also be placed almost

anywhere along the vault. Groin vaults were a ninety degree intersection of two barrel vaults and could be repeated

after one another to cover large areas. They also saved great amount of materials because the groin vaults only

needed to be supported at the four corners. They opened up areas and allowed for large amounts of illumination.

Lastly, domes were a 360 degree rotation of the arch making immense open interior spaces possible. The arch and

its evolutions allowed the Romans to greatly experiment with interior space creating a whole new type of impressive

architecture.

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One very well-known, outstanding structure that couldn’t have been built without the versatile

arch, barrel vault, and concrete is the Colosseum. Each of the levels of the Colosseum

contained about 180 arches, and the support for all the seating was made out of concrete.

This massive amphitheater could hold more than 50,000 spectators. The first three levels

were for seating spectators, the fourth was for the retractable awning that could cover the

crowd, and the multiple underground levels were for holding ferocious animals and prisoners

that could be released by lifting cages and trapdoors. Of course, the Colosseum was

beautifully decorated: statues in every archway, bronze sculpture, and a nod to the Greeks by

using their three different columns (Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian) façade of the multiple levels.

The Colosseum conquered unimaginable feats structurally, visually, and entertainment-wise

that still astounds people today.

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The Romans aqueducts were a main reason that the Roman Empire was able to expand more inland. The aqueducts

were the Romans’ form of water transportation that were able to bring freshwater from miles away into the cities. They

consisted of a series of about 290 miles of tunnels, bridges, and siphons that worked purely by the force of gravity pulling the

water down a very slight decline to keep the momentum for the water to reach the city. The tunnels were waterproof

cemented rectangular channels that generally traveled in straight paths but also went around small valleys. They also made

arched bridges over small valleys if it was more convenient to keep that path, but if the valley was too large to avoid building a

bridge over, the Romans used their ingenious inverted siphons. The aqueduct tunnel would go down the side of the valley,

across a small bridge at the bottom, and, with the momentum of the water, travel back up the other side of the valley which

was slightly lower than the initial side to be able to continue flowing. Once the water reached the city, it would be held in

reservoir tanks and properly distributed to houses, fountains, baths, and sewers. The Romans built eleven massive aqueducts

that could deliver about 40 million gallons of water a day. The Roman aqueducts are truly a wondrous inventions purely

based on their remarkable functionality.

The most impressive section of the aqueducts is a bridged segment named Pont du Gard which spans the River Gard in

France. It has three tiers of immense arches and totals in height at about 140 feet. More so, virtually all of the stones were set

in place with no mortar and still stay firmly in place today. It is truly an incredible structure made with careful thought of the

architects and engineers.

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During the reign of the Roman Empire, all roads really did

lead to Rome and expanded with the empire. These roads were able

to connect the empire as a whole, increase communication, and

make military travel faster. The Romans made their roads to last

practically forever which was no easy task. They were about five feet

thick and consisted of many layers: sand to level the bottom, then

stones and cement, gravel and dirt, and topped with paved stones.

There would be a bulge in the center for water to run off to avoid

flooding. The tools they used—dioptra to measure angles, chorobates

to level, and groma to site straight lines—were similar to modern day

instruments needed. The Roman roads were made with true quality

and it shows by the condition they are still in today.

Bridges also greatly helped the spread of the Roman Empire

and its communications. The Roman architects and engineers used

precise technique that made their bridges so strong that some of them

are still functional to this day. First, foundations were dug into a

sturdy part of the river bank. Next, the wooden framework for the

arch was built and the stones were precisely laid, usually without

mortar. Lastly, stonework was laid to face the concrete filling, and

the bridge was topped with a road that was designed to drain off water

to preserve the structure.

An example of a bridge the really demonstrated how

ingenious the Roman architects and engineers were was Caesar’s

pontoon bridge over the Rhine River. This was not a bridge meant to

pass the test of time but a bridge that was used for its function of

transporting military troops and supplies over the river. The Romans

needed to surprise attack the Germans so they built a wooden bridge

over the river in only ten days. The design was very clever because

they drove the beams into the riverbed at an angle against the current

to lend more strength. It was an unbelievable feat to design and build

in such a short amount of time but resulted in a battle won.

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The Romans took great pride in their supremely lavish baths. They were a very big part of Roman

social society and everyday life. They were quite elaborate complexes that were magnificently

decorated and built. They combined all of the Romans building techniques to make each bath

more incredible than the last. Each bath consisted of three basic parts: the cold bath (frigidarium),

the warm bath (tepadarium), and the hot bath (caldarium). These parts were placed according to the

proximity of the Roman furnace, the hypocaust. The heat from the fire would travel through open

spaces under the floor, through flues in the walls, and put the vents on the roof eliminating

hazardous smoke. The Romans even used glass in the windows to help regulate temperatures and

let in warm sunlight. Mosaic floors, marble walls, and decorative statues all added to the visual

brilliance of the baths making them quite a spectacle to see.

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Perhaps the grandest of the Roman baths is the Baths of Caracalla. It was practically the size of a small town and

could accommodate about 8,000 people daily. It consisted not only of multiple baths but also many gathering areas

such as libraries, art galleries, sports areas, and lecture halls, and it even had a domed room three-quarters the size of

the Pantheon dome. About ten tons of wood was burned daily to accommodate the fifty furnaces, and 20,000 cubic

meters of water that was distributed by a holding tank with eighteen chambers was used every day. The architects

and engineers had to reshape the land because their plan was so massive. Thousands of workers labored side-by-

side making this immense accomplishment of architecture be completed in only six years sending an unmistakable

message about the power of the Roman Empire.

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The Roman architects and engineers set a basis

for and influenced all kinds of architecture up to

this day. Their tools were the rudimentary

forms of some of the tools we use now.

Buildings and designs all over the world are

influenced by Roman architecture. The Thomas

Jefferson Memorial, St. Paul’s Cathedral in

London, and the Arc de Triumph in Paris are

just a few great structures that were heavily

influenced by Roman architectural ideals. The

Roman architects and engineers knew how to

build high quality structures that have lasted

hundreds of years and that are still functioning

today.

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