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The Romans were master builders. They invented the dome. They used the arch better than anyone before them had. And they invented concrete, a mixture of broken stones, lime, sand, volcanic ash, and water.
Roman emperors built vast temples, huge stadiums, and other amazing public buildings. It was a way to remind the Roman people of their wealth and power. Rome’s first emperor was Augustus. He said, “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.”
The work of Rome’s builders still stands today in parts of its once great empire.
Tour the Pantheon
ARCH
DOME
▲ Other peoples had used the arch before the Romans. But brave Roman builders raised the roof with it! With the arch, they could build higher and more rounded ceilings. They no longer needed heavy columns to hold up a roof. Bridges could be longer. Arches crossed over each other form a dome. A dome creates a rounded ceiling.
▲ Roman emperors liked to mark their conquests with giant arches. This arch was built in Rome after the Emperor Titus died. It honors his defeat of Jerusalem.
▲ The Romans built the highways of the ancient world. They made their roads with a center hump so water could drain into ditches. These roads helped the empire grow.
Water would come through aqueducts and into a Roman town. It flowed into systems of underground pumps and pipes. Then it was sent to public fountains, baths, and toilets. ▶
