Abstract
The Romans were the consummate builders in antiquity. Wherever they went, they constructed massive structures. Making use of the arch and the dome, they built such iconic buildings as the Coliseum and the Pantheon. They also built Hadrian’s Wall, a far-reaching network of paved roadways, towering aqueducts such as the Pont du Gard, enormous watermills, and triumphal arches. Many of these monumental achievements are still extant today, thus demonstrating the Romans’ use of mechanics.
The ancient Romans had a tradition: whenever one of their engineers constructed an arch, as the capstone was hoisted into place, the engineer assumed accountability for his work in the most profound way possible: he stood under the arch.
Michael Armstrong (1944-)
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Allen, D.H. (2014). The Romans. In: How Mechanics Shaped the Modern World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01701-3_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01701-3_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-01700-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-01701-3
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)