Roman Engineering & Society: Roads, Aqueducts, Urban Life

Roman Engineering and Society

Roman Roads: Connecting the Empire

The primary purpose of Roman road construction was to facilitate control over all territories within the Roman Empire, enabling easy access to any region. The Roman army played a crucial role in their construction, advancing inch by inch throughout the empire.

Roman roads were categorized by their width and intended use:

• Via: A broad road, suitable for vehicles.
• Iter: A path for walking with pack animals or litters.
• Actus: A path for a single vehicle or animals.
• Semitia: A small way or footpath.

Road Construction Techniques

Roman roads were typically designed to follow a straight line, though diversions were made when terrain exigencies demanded. Once the route was determined, construction could begin:

1. Workers delimited the width of the road by making two grooves, which were then lined with two rows of stones.
2. A channel was excavated between these two rows of stones, and a first layer of large stones was placed.
3. Another layer of sand or gravel was added.
4. These layers were covered with crushed stone or large stone slabs, forming the road surface.

Roman Bridges: Spanning Rivers and Valleys

Engineers first marked the locations for pillars and began laying foundations. Initially, they favored constructing narrow bridges with a single arch. Over time, they developed techniques to build multi-arched bridges capable of spanning wide rivers.

Notable examples include:

• The Roman Bridge of Mérida (Spain)
• The Pont du Diable in Martorell (Spain)

Roman Lighthouses: Guiding Sailors

Roman lighthouses signaled the presence of the coast to sailors. These towers varied in design, with their highest point dedicated to illumination.

A famous example is:

• The Tower of Hercules (Spain)

Roman Cities: Urban Planning and Life

Roman cities were meticulously planned, often following a grid layout. Key axes included:

• North-South axis: The Cardo Maximus
• East-West axis: The Decumanus Maximus

Important public buildings within a Roman city typically included the curia (senate house), basilica (public hall), and treasury.

City Foundation and Delimitation

The location for a new city was chosen carefully, prioritizing areas with good water sources, fertile land, communication routes, and a favorable climate.

• Invocatio: A religious ritual involving animal sacrifice was performed in the chosen area.
• Limitatio: This process involved marking and delimiting the perimeter that the walled city would occupy.

Roman Army

The Roman Army was central to the expansion and maintenance of the Roman Empire, playing a vital role in construction, defense, and administration.

Roman Religion: Polytheistic Beliefs

Roman religion was polytheistic, involving the worship of many gods and goddesses.

• The priest dedicated to a specific deity was known as the flamen.
• The cella was the inner chamber of the temple, often housing the cult statue.

Roman Housing: Domus and Insulae

Roman housing varied significantly based on social status:

• Domus: A single-family house, typically for the wealthy, often featuring an atrium and a courtyard.
• Insulae: Multi-story apartment buildings, providing housing for the majority of the urban population.

Roman Aqueducts: Water Supply for Cities

Aqueducts transported water from distant springs and sources to Roman cities. They consisted of a stone-lined channel, through which water flowed by gravity due to a moderate slope. This channel could be either underground or above ground. As the aqueduct approached a city, it was often elevated on a series of arches, forming the iconic structures that carried water into urban centers.

Famous examples include:

• The Pont du Gard (France)
• The Aqueduct of Segovia (Spain)