FIVE WONDERS OF ANCIENT ROMAN TECHNOLOGY

The late Canadian architect Arthur Erickson astutely observed, “Roman civilization had achieved, within the bounds of its technology, relatively as great a mastery of time and space as we have achieved today.” Despite its collapse over 1,500 years ago, the rich tradition of innovation and invention present in ancient Rome left an indelible mark in the history books. Here, I recount five examples of technological advancements achieved by the ancient Romans.

The ancient Pont du Gard located in southern France

| AQUEDUCTS |

In ancient Rome, aqueducts were man-made conduits which transported water from mountains and springs to fountains, gardens, latrines, private villa and public bathhouses. Aqueducts were also necessary for agriculture and the irrigation of food crops. Roman aqueducts consisted of a vast network of bridges, channels and pipe. Rome had eleven such aqueducts, the most ancient being the Aqua Appia, constructed in 312 B.C. Although ancient water systems called qanat systems had already existed in ancient Middle-Eastern places including Assyria, Egypt, India and Persia, historians consider the ancient Romans to be the best aqueduct builders. Furthermore, aqueducts were useful in keeping water free from contamination such as human faeces and thereby improved public health in cities with primitive sewage systems. Today, you can still see the Aqueduct of Segovia and the Pont du Gard, which serve as two spectacular feats of Roman engineering.

Matthew 6:4-32 of the Codex Sinaiticus

| BOUND BOOKS |

For most of human history, literature came in the forms of clay tablets, cloths and scrolls. The scholastic ancient Greek philosophers all the way to Rome’s royal emperors wrote on papyrus rolls. But during the first or second century, the ancient Romans invented the codex, a collection of separate pages of papyrus or parchment stitched together at one side. Thus, the codex is recognised as the earliest form of a bound book. Julius Caesar, for example, created an early version of the codex by stacking sheets of papyrus so he could use it as a notebook. The codex was also vital in the spread of Christianity and preservation of the Gospels and Pauline Epistles of the New Testament, as early Christians used codices in producing copies of the Bible.  As one website notes, “Early Christians broke away from the Jewish scroll format and embraced the codex much earlier.” Unlike antecedent forms of literature, the codex was more durable, easy to use and portable.

The Pantheon in Rome

| CONCRETE |

For two millennia, ancient Roman concrete has withstood the force of pounding water. Remarkably, “the Romans first invented what today we call hydraulic cement-based concrete.” (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Around 30 B.C., Roman engineer Vitruvius recorded the recipe for Roman concrete, which required a concoction of lime, seawater and volcanic ash. Roman concrete contained a porous silicate mineral known as phillipsite, which, with the interaction of seawater, formed a very rare mineral called aluminium tobermorite. Over time, the aluminium tobermorite actually reinforced the concrete and prevented cracks from expanding. By 200 B.C., Romans were successfully incorporating concrete into their architecture and buildings. Today, modern concrete generally lasts for a service life of fewer than fifty years and does not bind well in comparison to Roman concrete. We could definitely learn something from Roman concrete!

The Greek physician Galen vivisecting a pig

| HEALTH AND MEDICINE |

Roman health and medicine owed much to the ancient Greeks but would still contribute through those such as Celsus, Galen, Onbasius and Pedanius Dioscorides. Interestingly, the Romans were more concerned with prevention rather than cure. They believed that if you kept in good physical shape, you could combat illnesses more easily. The Greek philosopher Celsus wrote, “A person should put aside some part of the day for the care of his body. He should always make sure that he gets enough exercise.” While the Romans did not fully understand germ theory and disease, they did employ many techniques which killed germs. For example, the ancient Romans boiled their tools before use and would only reuse them after boiling them again. In ancient Rome, professional doctors were affiliated with the Roman Army, which is why hospitals were originally built for the military. Fortunately, unlike the ancient Egyptians, the Romans accepted that diseases had natural explanations.

Hypocaust in Vieux-la-Romaine,  France

| HEATING SYSTEMS |

In the first century B.C., the ancient Romans developed the hypocaust, “an open space below the floor that is heated by gases from a fire or furnace below and that allows the passage of hot air to heat the room above.” (Encyclopaedia Britannica) The hypocaust originated from the Romans over two millennia ago. Thus, several historians believe that the hypocaust was the first underground heating technology to exist in human history. In order for the underground heating to have kept going, a slave or household worker had to rake out the ashes and insert new fuel—usually charcoal or small twigs and branches—into the fire with a long-handled tool. The hypocaust was not only used in the warm and hot rooms of public Roman baths, but also in private houses which belonged to the wealthy, especially in the colder regions of the Roman Empire. Today, examples of hypocausts can be still found in Britain and Germany.