Ancient Roman Infrastructure by Sunwoo Yoon

Ancient Roman Infrastructure

Romans created a mixture that is in so much of our world today. The infrastructure system in ancient Rome has affected the whole world today, since it was so amazing according to the time period, thousands of years ago. It may still beat the infrastructure of some countries today. The roads have made modern peoples lives less confusing, by making a straight path. The arches have made this world stable, with their strength. Lastly, the bridges have helped modern humans to be able to cross a platform that is safe and sound. These structures dont seem to matter much to peoples lives, but they have a massive impact into this world and this community. Another example of infrastructure includes education. Modern society would have no straight paths if it werent for the Romans, isnt that hard to imagine?

Roads
Roman roads have greatly affected modern societys own roads. The Romans have come up with the brilliant idea of making straight roads, like we have today (Trueman, 2000). If they hadnt come up with this idea, people today would have had snaking roads everywhere, would have had car crashes everywhere, and cars would have screeched all the time. These roads led to Rome, the center, which made ruling easier (Szazs, n.d). The roads made it more efficient for messaging and trading causing the emperor to gain more power (Trueman, 2000). To make straight roads, surveyors use a tool called the groma. It was a tool with two pieces of woods nailed to each other, making it have right angles everywhere. Each piece had weights attached to the ends (Trueman, 2000). Another thing that was important for the roads was that they dug ditches to the sides of the roads, making drainage
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Ancient Roman Infrastructure by Sunwoo Yoon

available (Trueman, 2000). This is very important for us today, since modern people have sewage systems, catch basins in the sides of roads, and so on. These roads have a major impact in the Roman world and the modern world, meaning they are a very important change.

Aqueducts
Ancient Roman aqueducts have always been marveled by people (Alchin, 2012). The word aqueduct come from the words aqua and duct constructing a word meaning pipe that carries water (Ancient Roman Aqueducts, n.d). Aqueducts are structures used to carry water from one place to another. The Romans didnt invent the aqueduct, they took the idea from the Greeks, but they have improved the works, which resulted in the famous aqueducts dotting the ancient boundaries of Rome. However, the aqueducts only carried water to rich households, public bathtubs, latrines, and fountains (Ancient Roman Aqueducts, n.d). Scientists date aqueducts back to 312 B.C (Alchin, 2012). They are built of concrete as they carry water through pipes. The water was transported with gravity (Ancient Roman Aqueducts, n.d), and along a slight downward gradient within conduits of stone, brick or concrete (Ancient Roman Aqueducts, n.d). The first aqueduct has carried the water from River Tibet. Aqueducts have affected people today in a big way. Modern people use pipes, tunnels, ditches, canals, and so on (Ancient Roman Aqueducts, n.d). They have also affected architects daily lives by setting a marveled example to them today, who Wow to the astounding works of ancient architects.

Bridges
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Ancient Roman Infrastructure by Sunwoo Yoon

The Romans have played a big part in the evolution of bridges. Bridges started out as wood logs, stones, and platforms that werent stable, safe, or leveled out. The Romans disagreed with this idea, and started using arches in the bottom. They found out that the arches could carry the weight of the arches themselves, or even more (Ancient Roman Bridges, n.d). The Romans have built over 900 bridges with arches in Europe, Africa, and Asia Minor (Ancient Roman Bridges, n.d). Many of the bridges are still left in the world. These roads have affected daily life by discovering a technology of making bridges more stable. These strong bridges were appreciated by some neighboring countries. People never had to worry about falling, let alone their family or items for trade. These bridges were also very wide, and people didnt have to balance on a narrow platform. Bridges today have been affected by these bridges. They eliminated wood logs and replaced with towering bridges. When modern humans think of bridges, they think of bridges with an upward curved bottom, with rails. This may not seem to connect with arched bridges, but arched bridges made a path for these kinds of bridges to be born. If not for these arched bridges, bridges today wouldnt be as stable as they are today. Deeper into these bridges lies another story, the story of the arch.

Arches
Arches have played a big role in ancient Roman architecture and the infrastructure. Arches can be found anywhere: around roads, aqueducts, bridges, anywhere. However, arches had already been used before by the Egyptians and the Greeks ( The
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Ancient Roman Infrastructure by Sunwoo Yoon

Influence of the Roman Arch, n.d). What the Romans did was that they strengthened the arch. The arches that were made before the Roman improved them werent strong. They couldnt hold up big structures, and all the mainly did was they held up small roofs. What did they use to strengthen it? The answer lies in the material called concrete. The Romans mixed lime and volcanic sand, creating this sturdy material (The Influence of the Roman Arch, n.d). This is a very big impact on the world today. The world very own roads, sidewalks, buildings, floors, statues, and many, many things around us are made out of concrete. This durable material is a material that may last for another two thousand years. These Romans deserve a big applause. Concrete is just a something that has to be in peoples lives. When people are in an environment without anything made of concrete, they feel like cavemen, but the only thing thats missing isconcrete. Arches also affected our world with their grandeur. Their beautiful detail contains giant medallions, intricately elegant borders, and professionally carved drawings of leaders, gods, goddesses, and etcetera. The actual purpose of an arch is to hold up a building (The Influence of the Roman Arch, n.d). These arches have done a good job doing that. These arches got architects, in Rome and today, to thinking. Then they came up with ideas for vaults and domes (The Influence of the Roman Arch, n.d). Vaults were extended arches which were used to create large open rooms and high, covered passageways (Three Important Elements of Successful Roman Architecture, n.d). The dome was a structure, also evolved from the arch that acted as a roof. An example of a famous dome was the Pantheon (dome, n.d). This structure appears in many space observatories. The arch has created a biG change, and so have the roads, bridges, and aqueducts of ancient Rome.

Watchtowers
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Ancient Roman Infrastructure by Sunwoo Yoon

Watchtowers in ancient Rome provided security in places such as wheat fields and vineyards. They were used for people to go up and supervise the fields to watch for any bandits or peasants. When peasants wanted food, they would go to the fields and follow the people who were picking around. When one dropped a piece, the peasants would go and get it for themselves. These watchtowers were very important to the world today because people still use watchtowers. Lifeguards in beaches and pools use raised seats, which came from the idea of the watchtower. In some parking lots in cities, they have watchtower-like structures to supervise for robbers. These watchtowers have also evolved into different ideas in the world today, like the arch.

Education
Romans were very harsh when it came to education. They rarely had a separate building for a school; they used a part of a shop, separated by a curtain (Roman Education, 2000 2013). Mainly boys went to school, and teaching was done very harshly. Boys were beaten when showing the slightest bit of laziness. If they were late, they would be caned. Only the rich could afford proper education for boys. The poor did get educated, but they learned only the most basic things (Roman Education, 2000 2013). The girls did get educated, at home. They learned how to run a good household and how to be a good wife. They also learned topics such as music, weaving, sewing, and cooking ( Roman Education, 2000 2013). Students had classes all week, with no weekends. Even though they had no weekends, they had many religious holidays and did have long period breaks. Market days were also days for no school for students (Roman Education, 2000 2013).

Conclusion
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Ancient Roman Infrastructure by Sunwoo Yoon

The Roman world has greatly affected our lives today. Their roads have affected our lives by making them straight as they have created a tool for this fix. They have also added a drainage system for our good. Drainage systems! Their bridges have affected us with their strength and their new way of creation. Their aqueducts have brought us a whole new level of transporting water, pipes and ditches. The Romans arches have brought a new technology of strength, with their sturdiness. The Romans have invented a mixture called concrete, which is used every day, stepped on every day, touched everyday of our lives. These arches have evolved into new structures such as vaults and domes. The education has led to where students lives are in today, and has affected their lives too much actually say anything. Our worlds open areas to corners all have been slightly or massively affected by the Romans and their ancient ways. All roads lead to Rome. Surely our straight ones keep a secret of Rome.

Ancient Roman Infrastructure by Sunwoo Yoon

Bibliography Works Cited:

Alchin, L. K. "Ancient Roman Aqueducts." Ancient Roman Aqueducts. N.p., 23 Apr. 2012. Web. 22 May 2013. Szazs, Colin. "The Influence of Roman Engineering and Architecture." Www.arch.mcgill.cs. McGill University, n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. N.a. "Roman Education." Historylearningsite.co.uk. History Learning Site, 2000 - 2013. Web. 30 May 2013.
Trueman, Chris, BA. "Roman Roads." Roman Roads. HistoryLearningSite.co.uk, 2000 - 2013. Web. 31 May 2013.

Unknown. "Dome." Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2013.

Unknown. "Ancient Roman Bridges." Ancient Bridges. History of Bridges, n.d. Web. 24 May 2013. Unknown. "The Inuence of the Roman Arch." Www.eduplace.com. Houghton Mifflin Company, n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. Unknown. "Three Important Elements of Successful Roman Architecture."Pal.loswego.k12.or.us/. N.p., n. d. Web. 26 May 2013.

Unknown, "Ancient Roman Aqueducts - Crystalinks." Crystalinks.com. Crystalinks, n.d. Web. 22 May 2013.

Ancient Roman Infrastructure by Sunwoo Yoon