Rebecca Walker
HIS103
Roman Technology
Susan Michelena
8/27/2013

The Romans were good at building things. One thing that they were good at was building bridges. The very first bridges were made of wood and had arch like shapes to them. The later bridges were made of stone. These bridges were very sturdy and very strong. Some of the bridges that are built today are modeled from the early Roman bridges. The Romans are also known for building aqueducts. Some of the areas had hard time getting water so they came up with this idea so the water can reach to those people. The Romans also figured out a way to get indoor plumbing. The Romans were very good at improving their design on aqueducts, dams, and bridges. They also used their technology to help them with things from water access, to construction, to mining. For mining the Romans would go from wooden hammers to iron pick axes to mine for iron and other materials. The Romans even used battering rams in their mines! Imagine running full force in to a rock wall back then. The battering ram was mainly used with just knocking down flint. To remove the left over rock and water, they carried the stuff away with wooden baskets and crates. The Pantheon was truly a great piece of work by the Romans. The Pantheon is not just a normal building. It was a great building which was used for worshiping the gods. It was built off of another temple. It was the biggest dome top of all time back then. It even had a circle at the top to let in light. It would have really tested their knowledge skills to build it. The Romans also built many weapons. They built many siege engines. One was called the Scorpion. It was very powerful and could shoot up to a distance of 400 meters. They also built many roads and lighthouses. The Roman technology and engineering basics are used all over the world. Their structures were so strong and sturdy that most of their roads and buildings are still around today. They were very skilled at their crafts and put a lot of work into it Titus Livius was quoted as saying, “Rome had developed since its humble beginning that is now overpowered by its own greatness. “His statement could not be more right (Livius 1823). During its reign, Rome quickly became the largest technological and engineering advanced empire of its time. This was undeniably clear to its citizens when these advancements enhanced their overall health, safety, and living conditions. Those achievements not only allowed Rome to magnify its borders exponentially, but also allowed the empire to support a strong community and dominate the seas both through military prowess as well as through trade. Among plentiful of the Roman engineering and technological feats, the aqueducts of Rome and their innovative shipbuilding advanced their culture remarkably. One of the true testaments to Roman engineering is the Roman waterway system known as the aqueducts. The Roman aqueducts were a waterway system built to bring a constant flow of water into the empire in order to supply fountains, toilets, homes, etc. The aqueducts were built from a combination of stone, brick and the special volcanic cement, and stretched about 260 miles, 30 miles of which were visible arched structures (Heaton 2003). In order to maintain this massive water system, the Romans assigned a Curator Aquarum to oversee this project in which slaves, laborers, and legions all took part in