Ancient Roman Military Technology

During the time period of the ancient roman civilization (753 BC-1453 AD), many advancements in technology took place. Ancient Rome, one of the most well known civilizations has a reason to be remembered. Ancient Rome is not known as one of the great civilizations for no reason, it is not accidental. Their advancements in three fields of technology; infrastructure, military and government, are three qualities that prove that Ancient Rome is a successful civilization. The Roman road systems, that “Helped Rome Rule the Ancient World” (Andrews, 1) and other Ancient Roman structural creations show that the Ancient Roman Civilization was successful when it came to infrastructure. The military strategies of the Ancient Roman military, and their
Advancements in three separate fields of technology in Ancient Rome are the reason for why Ancient Rome is remembered as a successful civilization. The Roman army can be defined as “disciplined and innovative” (Cartwright, 1). The Roman army was extremely organized, it assigned weapons to soldiers based on their position. Perhaps this is why “The art of war under the Romans reached high levels of strength and efficiency” (Mcgeough, 171). One could argue that Rome’s army was the strongest of its time. The army had numerous allies that would “not only supply, equip and pay for additional men, but also supply vital materials such as grain and ships.” (Cartwright, 1). As one can clearly see, there are multiple reasons for the success of the Ancient Roman army. Unlike many organizations today, the Roman army did not give the most power to its wealthiest officials. The Triarii, or the oldest and wealthiest soldiers, were the wealthiest
They used the arch design in aqueducts and buildings like the Colosseum. The Pont du Gard, a famous aqueduct that carried water to the Roman city of Nimes, “was constructed entirely without the use of mortar” (Gwyther-Jones, 2). The design that the Romans used, the arch, required much less material to create. It placed the weight of the structure above it onto two separate placed, or the bases of the arch. This design was used so often by the Ancient Romans, because there were many uses for it, like using it as a bridge, tunnel, or a source of transportation for water. Arches were also appealing to the eye, and were used to tell stories. The triumphal arch, a type of arch that was specifically used “to commemorate military triumphs and other significant events such as the accession of a new emperor” (Cartwright, 1), but “had no practical function” (Cartwright, 1). Surprisingly, the Ancient Romans did not create the arch, they adapted to the design, that was created by the Etruscans. Instead, they improved upon, and modified the Etruscan