More of Rome's Legacy

Influence of Roman Architecture

Roman architecture has been copied all over the world: triumphal arches like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Jefferson Memorial in Washington and neoclassic buildings for governments and universities. The arch was the Romans’ most important development in architecture. With ensuing experience, their engineers pushed forward to create the vault and the dome. These elements were used extensively, combining stone and concrete for construction of bridges, aqueducts, basilicas, stadium and palaces all over the empire.

 

The Alcantara Bridge in Spain still standing

The Pantheon represents the apex of this evolution with its dome 43 meters in diameter, the largest unreinforced solid concrete dome in the world. Some bridges and aqueducts built with this technology are still functional, such as the famous Alcantara Bridge in Spain, 600 feet long with six arches, 148 feet high. Only after the eighteenth century, with the Industrial Revolution and the production of steel, was the stone arch surpassed with the use of new material and technical advances.  Arch, column, vault, and capital have Latin roots.

 

The Pantheon in Rome

Many ancient structures like the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum are still standing thanks to the invention of concrete. The formula has cement, rock fragments and lime.   It is durable due to addition of pozzolana, a reddish, volcanic ash which prevents cracks from spreading. The way it was worked: pounding the material and removing most of the water.  Its formula was lost in the Middle Ages, later rediscovered and widely used all over the world. Modern concrete exposed to salt water corrodes within decades. Instead, this ancient concrete used also for seawalls and harbor piers is stronger today than when it was first mixed 2000 years ago. The reason, scientists have recently determined, is that the chemical reaction produced tobermorite crystals.

 

Ancient walls around Rome

This technology allowed Rome to build long-lasting infrastructure. Rome itself, in the second century AD, boasted 11 aqueducts that allowed the construction of enormous public baths, about 900 more modest baths, and underground sewers promoting public health and hygiene. Some are still in use today. The baths were a mix of a spa and a campus with exercise areas, pools, saunas and libraries. There were major imperial baths, majestic and luxurious in many cities.  Even small towns all over the empire often had public baths supported by local merchants. For a fee, homeowners could have potable running water in the pipes of their homes.

Enormous public arenas were built throughout the empire. Passion for the games is another legacy. The Colosseum could hold up to 70,000 spectators and, by means of 80 wide exits and a series of well-planned corridors and stairways, could empty in only 12 minutes. It has represented the standard for sports arenas constructed all over the world. It is largely intact after 20 centuries.

The Colosseum

The Circus Maximus, an oval track with bleachers for over 300,000 people was the largest stadium of all time, where horse races and all sorts of spectacles were held for more than 1000 years. Chariot races had passionate fans like today for football or baseball, and people were betting on the result.  In a day there were 24 races. Between the races there were also acrobats and actors entertaining the crowd.  There were also mock naval battles, processions, animal hunts, and gladiator combat.  It was also a place for young people to meet while they cheered on their team.

The four chariot teams had different colors