Roman Aqueducts and Architecture

Roman Aqueducts and Architecture
Fallan Bell
HIS 103 World Civilizations I
Instructor: Samson Tsahiridis
August 20, 2012

Roman Aqueducts and Architecture
Rome had many famous achievements. The two different ones that I found most interesting to me were the aqueducts and architecture. Till this day, it is still unknown when and where the first aqueduct was built.
Roman Aqueducts
Person in charge: The first person in charge of the Roman waterworks in 33 B.C was Marcus Agrippa.
What they are: They are channels that run through the water, that are conducted to the place where it is being used. The tunnels were dug through the rocks and other canals that are in the earth.
Materials that were used: Some of the materials that the Rome used to build the aqueducts were: masonry, concrete, cast iron, steel, or wood. If the gravity was working the greatest, they would use pumps to push the water through.
Facts:
There would be much more aqueducts built when the cities were growing. When there were dry lands, the aqueducts would also supply the water, so the crops could be watered. Rome was known to have a lot of aqueducts and was the only city with a good water supply. Nine total aqueducts were said to supply 85 million gallons of water a day to the cities or where it was needed. Years later five more aqueducts were built. In Rome, 200 cities had aqueducts.
Roman Architecture
Most famous buildings they built were: They were post and lintel, but they were limited in the weight it was to carry, and the span between the supports.
Facts:
The Roman Architecture changed all this and advanced this by introducing new methods of architecture; The Columns and The Arches. With these methods the romans were able to construct bigger temples and buildings than ever before. (UNRV History)
They built three types of columns during their long history, but the most basic column that they built was called the Doris Style. The features they used were not perfect or even looked good, but they served a good purpose.
The arches they used gave the power to amaze and glorify, but also the main use was the immense support. The Pantheon was the largest dome built for eighteen centuries. Their idea of the arch was too extended in the middle ages with the barrel vault and different types of vaults which was the central theme of the Romanesque and Gothic Cathedrals. (UNRV History)
To construct the arches they used cement, which this helped the Romans expand their building. When they built the Coliseum, they used concrete along with their arch system when they were building it. Using this method they were able to build a four story high stadium, which was able to seat 50,000 people. . (UNRV History)

A famous Roman aqueduct, the Pont du Gard near Nimes, France, stands as a reminder of one of the world's greatest empires. At its peak of power, in the A.D. 100's, the Roman Empire covered about half of Europe, much of southwest Asia, and the north coast of Africa. (World Book Advanced)

The Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City is a performance and exhibition center famous for the beauty of its architecture. (World Book Advanced)

Reference
Bix, Amy Sue, “Aqueducts”, World Book Advanced, World Book, 2012, http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar027180&st=roman+aqueducts UNRV History, 2003-2012, http://www.unrv.com/culture/architecture.php