EASY READ Ancient worlds
What did the Romans build?
Aqueducts
Romans built aqueducts to channel water direct from mountain springs to towns and cities all over the empire. Some aqueducts were more than 40 kilometres (25 miles) long. They had to be built with just the right slope along their length so that the water flowed freely. Where an aqueduct crossed a valley, engineers built a bridge made from stone or brick. Rounded arches were often used: they had great architectural strength.
Roads
Roman roads were built to last. Good roads allowed soldiers, messengers and the delivery of supplies to travel in all weathers. The Romans used their engineering expertise to build long-lasting, straight roads.
To build a road, workers would first dig out a trench. They then stamped down the base of the trench. A layer of sand was laid. Stones and clay followed, then a layer of concrete with stones or broken pottery. A final layer of concrete or flat slabs completed the road.
Concrete
The Romans invented concrete, a mixture of lime, volcanic ash, stones and water. After it had dried and hardened, it became a building material that was both strong and light. Many Roman buildings and structures have concrete cores, faced with marble, stone or brick.
The Pantheon in Rome, meaning "temple of every god” has a huge concrete dome. It measures 43.3 metres (142 feet) across. Built in about AD 126, it is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome today.
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Roman engineering
Consultant: Philip Parker