Roman Technology
By Colleen Messina; edited by Debbie English
1
The Romans were great builders. Many things you see today
have been inspired by ancient Rome. Even though they copied
some things in architecture from the Greeks, the Romans had
many original ideas.
2
The Romans also extended the use of the arch developed in
Mesopotamia. An arch is a curved structure that can hold a lot of
weight. Arches helped Roman architects a great deal. With
arches, they could build over windows and doors. With arches,
they could build huge structures called aqueducts. Aqueducts (see
illustration) brought water to the city of Rome from the hills.
3
The Romans also improved concrete by making it stronger and waterproof. Concrete is created
when you mix lime, sand, pebbles and water. Roman builders improved concrete by adding volcanic
sand. The volcanic sand produced concrete that was stronger and would even
harden under water. This concrete made it possible to build permanent piers for
trade vessels and permanent bridges along the roads.
4
The Romans also built many roads over thousands of miles. These roads
helped the army keep track of the vast Roman Empire. The roads were straight.
Chariot wheels moved much more easily over paved roads than on muddy ruts. The
Romans only built straight roads; therefore, some of their roads tunneled through
mountains. During the Roman Empire, it was true that “all roads lead to Rome.”
5
Around 72 A.D., the Romans built an enormous structure called the Colosseum with concrete; it
was their largest amphitheater. The Colosseum was used for gladiator fights and venationes (combats
between men and wild beasts). The construction of the Colosseum would not have been possible
without concrete and the use of the arch. When Vespasian became emperor in 69 A.D., he had two
pressing issues that required his immediate attention. The first crisis was to rebuild Rome. Back in 64
A.D., a huge fire raged for several days and caused tremendous damage to the city. Among the
casualties was the city's wooden amphitheater. Vespasian knew how important entertainment was to
his people. As a result, he wanted to build a magnificent sports venue for all to enjoy.
6
The second need for building the Colosseum was to erase the memory of Nero. For 14 years, from
54 A.D. to 68 A.D., this crazy emperor ruled the empire heartlessly. To secure power and advance his
personal agendas, he murdered many Christians, his stepbrother, his two wives, and even his own
mother. During the "Great Fire of Rome" he was said to have played his lyre while reciting “The Fall of
Troy.” After the fire was put out, he showed no compassion for the city's loss and suffering. All he cared
about was building an enormous palace called Domus Aurea (the
Golden House). Though Nero ended his own life in 68 A.D., his
horrific, oppressive behaviors were still the talk of the empire. To
ease people's minds from those unhappy years, Vespasian decided
to dismantle Domus Aurea and use part of the land for a grand,
stony amphitheater. That grand, stony amphitheater was the
Flavian Amphitheater, or more popularly known as the
Colosseum.
7
The Romans were great builders. Using arches, they were able to build larger structures than the
Greeks. They developed an important new building material—waterproof concrete. From arches to
concrete, our modern world has been influenced by the architects of ancient Rome.
Copyright © 2008 edHelper
technology: The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives.
Directions: Read all questions and answers carefully. Then, locate and underline the
supporting information in the article. Finally, bubble in the best answer for each question.
After you finish, check your answers.
1. Which civilization(s) influenced Roman
architecture?
Greek
Mesopotamian
European and African
both Greek and Mesopotamian
2. Which civilization developed the arch?
European
Greek
Mesopotamian
Roman
3. What was the greatest advantage of the arch?
architecture became more interesting
they could build over doors and windows
arches support a lot of weight
they could build aqueduct
4. Read this sentence from the article. “Even
though they copied some things from the Greeks,
the Romans had many original ideas.”
5. What best explains why Vespasian began
constructing the Colosseum?
The wooden amphitheater was destroyed in
a fire.
He wanted to hold gladiator games.
He wanted a venue for sporting events to
entertain the people of Rome.
He wanted to erase the memory of Nero.
6. What information in paragraph shows the author’s
personal biases?
She claims that Nero burned the city of Rome
to further his personal agenda.
She says that he loved himself more than he
cared about family.
She describes Nero as “crazy.”
She says that Nero played his lyre while
the city of Rome burned.
7. According to the article how was Roman
architecture similar to Greek architecture?
Both civilizations used waterproof concrete.
Both civilizations built very tall buildings.
Both civilizations used arches and columns
in their buildings.
The article does not elaborate on similarities.
8. According to the article how was Roman
architecture similar to Mesopotamian architecture?
Both civilizations developed the arch.
Both civilizations used the arch.
Both civilizations used arches and columns
in their buildings.
The article does not elaborate on similarities.
9. What was true of both Nero and Vespasian?
Both build great building in Rome.
Both were emperors of the Roman Empire.
Both were Roman emperors who built great
buildings in Rome.
Not enough information is provided to
answer the question.
10. Which of the listed acts could be considered
examples of the “heartlessness” of Nero?
murdering many Christians
providing relief for the suffering people
of Rome after the city burned
murdering his brother
all of the above
11. What topic discussed in the article is illustrated by
the picture to the right of paragraphs one and two?
the use of arches
a Roman aqueduct
a concrete pier
a Roman road tunneling through a
a mountain
12. What topic discussed in the article is illustrated by
the picture at the bottom of the page?
the Flavian Amphitheater
a Roman road
a Roman aqueduct
Domus Aurea (the Golden House)
What does the word original mean?
old
innovative
ordinary
ancient
Roman Technology - Answer Key
1.
both Greek and Mesopotamian
2.
Mesopotamian
3.
arches support a lot of weight
4.
innovative
5.
He wanted a venue for sporting events to entertain the people of Rome.
5. ----6.
She describes Nero as “crazy.”
7.
The article does not elaborate on similarities.
8.
Both civilizations used the arch.
9.
Both were Roman emperors who built great buildings in Rome.
9. –
10.
murdering many Christians
11.
a Roman aqueduct
12.
the Flavian Amphitheater
Materials:
1. Prentice Hall: World Studies: The Ancient World; chapter 7 Section 2 pages 221-222
2. Engineering an Empire produced by the History Channel; sections on Introduction (for Roman
Roads); Augustus (concrete), Aqueducts, Nero, and the Colosseum
3. Realia: marble model of Colosseum; model of small wall fountain as outlet in Rome for the
aqueducts; pictures of Colosseum and aqueducts
Evaluation:
1. Journal: Title page for Unit 1: Ancient Rome which needs the following for an “A”: complete
heading in upper right corner, colored illustration of an aqueduct or the Colosseum (pages 221 &
222 in Ancient World Textbook), and a student summary of the information on these items from
notes and textbook in the students own words. The summary should be in a complete paragraph
with a main idea sentence, at least three detail sentences, have correct spelling and punctuation.
All of the work should be neat.—project grade
2. Journal: Cornell Notes in notebook for Roman Technology—class work grade
3. “Ancient Roman Republic—Quiz for Sections 1 and 2—test grade
Social Studies Objectives:
Student Friendly Question: What were the Roman civilization’s greatest contributions to architecture?
S.S.2.3.7: Understand how physical environments shape human systems (art and architecture).
Language Arts Objective:
 By identifying main ideas and supporting details, students will complete Cornell Notes
about Roman technology.
 Students will use the information from the Cornell Notes to write a paragraph about an
aqueduct or the Colosseum.
 Vocabulary-technology: The application of science, especially to industrial or
commercial objectives.