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The Building Innovations of the Romans

The Roman empire was undoubtedly one of the most powerful political formations of all time. Their success in creating a peaceful, sustainable, and dependable society is greatly attributed to their technological innovations. The Romans are considered to be great civil engineers and architects due to their outstanding architectural innovations that significantly transformed the empire. 

One important invention by the Romans was the creation of concrete. This invention opened doors for large-scale construction in the Roman empire. The concrete constituted two main ingredients: special volcanic sand and lime, suitable for different structural construction (Cartwright, 2018). Some of the monuments constructed during the Roman Empire are still evident. Apart from its availability and affordable cost, concrete was relatively safe. It was flame and earthquake-resistant. To limit the danger associated with collapsing of buildings, especially those constructed by crooked contractors, Roman rulers such as Augustus imposed a maximum height of seventy feet (Hunt et al., 2016, p. 180).

Although the arches and vaults existed before, the Romans discovered their use in building bridges, aqueducts, and other constructions. This brought new dimensions that never existed before (Ricketts, 2018). Typically, the arches function to evenly distribute pressure and loads, thereby sustaining the structures’ weight using few pillars and columns. This was extremely important in enhancing mobility and army operations across Europe. The construction of aqueducts and roads also streamlined transportation within the empire.

The Roman architectures were also at the forefront of creating new design and aesthetic features. Their theatres and amphitheaters, though inspired by the Greek version, were unique and distinct. The orchestra was semicircular even though the rest of the building comprised stones. Other unique facilities included the basilicas, temples, domes, and auditoriums. They formed part of the public buildings used for various events such as entertainment and worship. Their unique decorations also made them more appealing and admirable. According to Cartwright (2018), most of these building facilities were constructed to meet the changing needs of the society. 

In conclusion, the Romans were creative designers and innovators. They quickly adopted new building skills and techniques to produced new structural designs. Some of their architectural buildings made of bricks, stones, and concrete have lasted for centuries. Today, these innovations still form the basis of the construction industry.