How far can a person’s ego and ambitiousness go? Roman emperors’ engineering abilities were so precise and always had great purposes, but those features are not only the reason their huge projects were so successful. In the video “Rome: Engineering an Empire” talks about how the Roman emperor’s ambitiousness and egos were able to construct such incredible buildings like the Colosseum (70-80 CE), the Pont-du-Gard aqueduct (16 BCE), temples, roads, the Roman Pantheon (118-125 CE), the Hadrian Wall (128 CE), etc. It is clear how the power of these emperors can make such hard engineering projects so quick and at the same time so precise, with no errors. For example the Vespasian's Colosseum, the world’s most famous arena, was built by more than 12,000 men and it took them 8 years to finish. How incredible is that and impossible to believe? Engineers today in the 21st century cannot even construct such huge buildings so quick, not even with today’s very advanced technology. The Roman Empire were the …show more content…
It made me understand that the Roman era was so civilized and I never thought they would have such intelligent technology for their century. Even though the 21st century’s technology is very advanced, it cannot copy what the Romans built back in their day. Even today’s expert engineers confessed that they could not do the Roman’s hard work. The Roman empire were the most advanced civilization compared to other civilizations around that era. Also they were very intelligent with the materials they used; most of their materials were economic, but also good quality, they did not have to spend a lot of money on their projects. Honestly, the Romans had me very impressed with every single project they created. Not because of how huge they are, but because of the technology they
Rome was once the most powerful empire in the world. It expanded and changed leaders almost constantly, but there were a few figures in Roman history who made a huge impact. Together, Caesar, the Gracchus brothers, and Jesus, permanently affected the Roman government, economy, and created a whole new religion. These four men were instrumental to the development of Rome.
Documents 5 and 7 both described work of the mind to be better than menial physical labor, promoting the theory that the Romans valued intellect over any sort of labor. Document 8, which describes the technology behind aqueducts, states aqueducts to be superior to the Egyptian and Greek monuments of old, since aqueducts were actually functional and served a practical purpose. The author was a Roman general, which shows a bias towards Roman practicality over the gaudy landmarks of Rome’s enemies such as Egypt and
Intellectual/ Artistic The creation of the Roman Calendar made them more advanced because other empires did not create a such a progressive way to keep track of the days and months. The creation of aqueducts allowed them to become more advanced because it carried water throughout the empire. They both created roads that allow them to trade and become immersed with cultural and intellectual influences.
Their architecture blended features of various places and different sources, including the Byzantine Empire and features they created themselves. These people were not only very smart but also very artistic, creating numerous beautiful buildings and even their writing being something to look at in awe. Speaking of the buildings they created, ‘Arab statisticians..boasted 37 libraries, numberless bookstores, 800 public schools..and a total population of 300,000.’ (Doc 2) In other words, the people of Islam knew what they were doing and loved to build up their empire.
They also built towering and decadent arches
The Golden Age of Rome was a very prosperous one. There are many interesting factors which contributed to their wealth and success. Sometimes, we marvel at the advanced and modern amenities and system with which their society was run. The Romans had useful technology to help them in their daily lives, and an effective standardization system.
Another example of the Romans showing distaste of people who created technology is in document 7. “I do not believe that tools for the crafts were invented by wise men.” This document also shows that the Romans didn’t believe technology was constructed by enlightened
a) Doc 8: The Roman govt. official Fontinus praised technology. He claimed that while the achievements of the Greeks looked pleasing, they served no functional purpose and that Roman developments were practical, as well as visually appealing. i) Bias: Fontinus be praising the achievements of the Romans due to the fact that Britton was not a desirable post for a high ranking Roman official and that he would be better suited as the water commissioner of Rome in Rome.
For living in a time period where there was not a lot of technological advances that would help them build what they wanted at a faster pace, they had to learn to work with what they had. They also had to learn how to work with materials to be able to make the magnificent and amazing temples, that they are known for. “ The general temple-pyramid consisted of a platform, a long, broad, steep double staircase going up the center, with balustrades going up the sides of the steps. The Aztecs used sculpted stone blocks and skulls to decorate the platform and the ends of the balustrades” (General Construction of Pyramid-Temples). The Aztecs used and made platforms and tools that would help them make their temples better and better each time.
The Greeks and Romans seem to be extremely influential on our modern civilization. Many Greek and Roman traditions and cultures play major roles in our civilization. These traditions and cultures are displayed throughout our government, education, art, architect, cultural activities, and many other things. I assert the most influential ideas the Greeks and Romans had are displayed in our government, art, and architecture. Their ideas have inspired over 25 centuries, growing and changing over time, and still remain in our modern civilization.
Ancient Rome left tremendous legacies such as technological advancements, religious beliefs and governmental structures that shaped the world today. The Romans conquered many territories and took on their cultures as well, in particular the Ancient Greek culture. Ancient Greek civilizations played a major role in the history and development of the Ancient Rome civilization. The Ancient Greeks influenced the social structure, religion and military strength of Ancient Rome.
The ancient Romans and Chinese have played a big part in our lives by inventing things that impact the world. With the Romans inventing a great style of architecture and giving impact on how the world speaks today. China inventing an umbrella to give protection form the sun and rain, and inventing acupuncture giving something to use to help the body energy flow. Roman architecture played a big role on our lives, affecting the ways we design and build things today. For example the Colosseum was built to hold thousands of people and now days we have sport arenas to do the same thing, plus they are built a similar way.
Countless historians and average educated citizens say that "Rome fell but it's legacy lived on. " They say that because although the empire itself fell, it left behind many aspects of its society and culture that are still visible today. Those legacies are still affecting life today. A few of the major ones include Roman art, architecture, language, and philosophy and laws, but it is undoubtedly the Roman's architectural skill and engineering prowess that had the biggest impact on today's society. Their use of roads for easy transportation, their construction of the Colosseum, the greatest stadium for sporting events ever built in the history of our time, and their improved use of arches that stood out from all other architectural advancements.
Roman innovations in architecture, consisting of concrete, arches, vaults, domes, and roads, allowed Romans architects to build bigger more structurally sound buildings and their concepts are still used today. I think without the Romans techniques, methods, and designs we would have a way different view of architecture today. To this day Romans techniques and methods are used to build tons of building and houses every day. In conclusion the Romans have changed the way architecture is today and have given us a lot of the ideas of architecture that we use
A civilization’s architecture not only shows the artistic skills of its designers and builders but also the functionality of its engineers, the power of its government, and the inventiveness of its people. Architecture was a crucial element to the success of two major cites in Europe, Rome and Athens. Each city had structures consisting of formal architecture like temples and basilicas showing the influence that its leaders had over each city, while utilitarian buildings like bridges and aqueducts helped build communication between distant cities throughout each empire. Though architecture as a whole was an important role in unifying the cities, the architecture design within each illustrates the similarities and differences between two.