The achievements of Roman engineers in solving infrastructural challenges are impressive. But the problem remains that blueprints, building descriptions and many important written sources have not survived. The works of ancient authors, such as Vitruvius and Frontinus, report technical details, but in order to decode the technological structure accurately, one must engage with the perspective the ancient engineer, for only in this way are we able to comprehend ancient building strategies. Recent research reveals new insights regarding aqueduct construction and, in particular, working with measuring tools such the Chorobates and Groma. But technological discoveries go further: for example, a recently decoded tombstone relief in Hierapolis (Pamukkale, Turkey) has led to the realization that by the third century CE a gearbox for transferring circular to horizontal movements had already been developed. Ammianus, otherwise unknown, preserved this invention for the propulsion of a water-driven double masonry sawmill on his gravestone. This chapter explores these engineering marvels, surveying Roman achievements in urban infrastructure, including construction of roads, bridges, tunnels, and canals.
...MoreBook Georgia L. Irby-Massie (2016) A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome.
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