Roman Technology Research Paper

By Andrew Clément and Jesse Campbell

Table of Contents
A Dummies Guide to Ancient Roman Technology .............................. 2
Concrete .................................................................................................. 2
Amphitheaters ......................................................................................... 2
The Arch ................................................................................................. 3
The Abacus ............................................................................................. 3
The Aqueduct.......................................................................................... 4
Understanding Ancient Rome - Jesse ....................................................
7
Questions .................................................................................................. 9
Multiple Choice (6 marks): .................................................................... 9
Short Answer Questions (11 marks): ................................................... 10
Short essay (12 marks): ........................................................................ 12
Bibliography ...........................................................................................
Sports venues today closely resemble the ancient Roman amphitheaters, with their raised, curved seating around the event.
However today 's sports venues do not feature events that the ancient Roman amphitheaters held, such as: chariot races, animal fights, and gladiator combat. In fact, sometimes the ancient
Romans would flood the amphitheaters and hold naval battles. The ancient Roman emperors
2

strongly encouraged events in amphitheaters to keep the respect of their subjects. The emperors would also influence large amphitheaters in great numbers to promote a larger crowd. Over 230 amphitheaters were built by the ancient Roman Empire and largest of them was named The
Colosseum, which could hold over 50000 patrons. Amphitheaters could be built so large because amphitheaters and many other ancient Roman structures had perfectly rounded arches built from end to end.

The Arch
Another great technological and architectural marvel of the ancient Romans was the arch. Unlike concrete, the ancient
Romans did not invent the arch. The arch was already invented and used by the Greeks, Egyptians, and Babylonians since prehistoric times. However, the Greeks, Egyptians,