How has ancient Roman technology affected modern life

The modern worlds debt to many aspects of the Roman Empire is easy to identify. Modern European languages owe much to Latin, as do modern legal systems, modern literature, philosophical thinking, even the very histories and self-identities of modern nations. Cities in Europe, especially areas to the North and West of Greece and Italy exist today because the Romans built them. Before the Romans, the concept of the city was unknown in these regions (Reader 82). Cities were The influence of Roman cites is is still evident today throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East (Reader  82). Notions of belonging to a common world, of universal norms and rights, derive from Rome, at least partly. Systems of governance and concepts of citizenship have been have been inspired by Rome. The way that the Roman Catholic Church is organized and how clergy dress derives from Rome. National notions of having a special mission in the world have found inspiration in Rome. Many European cities still contain remnants of Roman occupation. This begins to shift from Romes cultural to Romes technological legacy. Roman ideas and Roman culture impact modern life so pervasively but what about technology With modern developments in electronics, computers, the micro-chip, radio, television not to mention modern science and medical knowledge, surely the significance of the Roman heritage is a matter of history, not continued relevance Surprisingly, this is not the case. Behind a great deal of contemporary engineering, architecture and building technology including hating, sanitation and plumbing as well as town planning and our understanding of how cities function stands solid Roman ground. Modern technology has an often-unacknowledged debt to the technology that allowed the Roman Empire not only to exist but also to achieve much of what it did. A huge territory was efficiently governed, communication passed from colonial outposts to the center, large armies moved along roads that still exist today. Much of Europes existing system of land communication and transport builds on what Rome left behind. Some roads lasted a thousand years with relatively little maintenance. In discussing Roman technologys significance for the modern world, its architectural and transport related aspects are highlighted. This is set within the wider context of the fact that without Romes legacy, people today might very well see the world differently. In many respects, when we look at the world, we see a reality that has been shaped by Roman ideas, in which Roman technology still forms the basis of much of what makes our function on a day-to- basis. This survey begins with the very idea of the city. Their design, function and communication networks, perhaps their very existence, build on Roman precedents.
Cities as Legacies of Roman Technology
Rome was itself a city. The Roman Empire took the city to the next level surpassing the role they had played in Greece, although Rome openly borrowed both intellectually and technologically from other civilizations generally and from the Greeks especially. Cities, for Romans, symbolized civilization, thus urban living distinguished the civilized from the uncivilized (Reader 83). One Senator put it like this, let the wild beast live in fields and woods men ought to draw together in cities (Reader 83). In building and running their empire, cities were central. It was from these that the empire was governed. Romans imposed their authority on the surrounding provinces from the cities they built (Reader 83). Cities needed to be networked, so long, straight roads connected them. Cities needed water, so aqueducts were built to supply this. Some technologies associated with Roman cities, sewerage, sanitation, heating, were neglected in later times yet still form the basis of such utilities and services today. Basic technology in these areas is still Roman. These urban centers were linked to an extensive network of well-engineered and surfaced roads, along which officials could travel up to 320 km a day on important business (Reader 83). The design of these cities often followed a template of intersecting blocks and streets on a grid system. Evidence of Roman grid-iron style of city planning survives today, says Reader (84). Places of worship, residence, theaters, public baths and other buildings were laid out according to this established pattern. It is easy to see how a modern city such as New York owes a debt to this model.
Plumbing and every day sanitation taken for granted in modern life
Expanding on the legacy of the Roman City, Guy says that, modern plumbing and sewerage systems owe much to Romans, as does Western architecture and language (19). He says that perhaps the most impressive legacy left by Rome were the roads, many of which were not vastly improved until the 19th century and often follow their original Roman course (19). The technology involved in building roads has advanced in terms of equipment used but not that much in design and construction. Some techniques involved in road construction were revived as recently as the nineteenth century. The ditch was dug, then layers of rocks and stone were placed into the ditch with flat stones as a base or foundation. This was topped with layers of rough and smooth concrete to form the surface, or pavement. Finally, a stone layer was added together with trenches for drainage alongside the road.
The Relevancy of Buildings and Architecture
Several features of Roman architecture continue to inform modern buildings. They perfected the semi-circular arch (Guy 2) and invented a new form if very strong concrete and improved the ways bricks were manufactured (Guy 27). Use of concrete as a ubiquitous and relatively inexpensive building material still owes much to Roman technology, although modern concrete and Roman are not identical. Stylistically, Roman architecture has seen revivals during different periods and continues to be popular for some buildings. The dome of the US capitol building is inspired by a Roman design. Domes, with the semi-circular arch, were Roman innovations or improvements. The arch enabled them to span greater distances than previous civilizations had been able to achieve and led to the invention of the dome (Guy 27). Great churches, public buildings, Colleges and many other constructions in the modern world owe their domes to Roman technology. Many aspects of Roman urban life were neglected and technologies forgotten when the empire collapses. Cities began to decline and such infrastructure as public baths, roads, libraries became sources of material to construct other buildings (Jenkyns 45). Even where some remnants of Roman sewerage and sanitation systems remained Medieval cities lacked such systems and were filthy, dangerous place. The Romans had public baths supplied with hot water and made a ritual of bathing. In the Middle Ages, people thought that more than one annual bath was unhealthy. Refuge litter and human excrement made urban space into health hazards. Early Christians rejected most anything Roman, including the value of cleanliness. St. Benedict pronounced that, to those that are well, and especially for the young, bathing shall seldom be permitted (Plumbing and Mechanical). In Rome, the sewer built in ancient times is still in use, Called the Cloaca Maxima, this sewer is one of the largest of the ancient sewers still in use. It was designed to carry off the surface water, and otherwise provide drainage for the entire city, says Plumbing and Mechanical. In comparison, the problem of safe waste disposal was unsolved in 14th century England where the refuse from the kings kitchen ran through the Great Hall in an open channel endangering the health of all who congregated there (Plumbing and Mechanical). Thus, the magazine can categorically state that
its to the plumbing engineers of the Old Roman Empire that the Western world owes its allegiance. The glory of the Roman legions lay not only in the roads they built and the system of law and order they provided. It was their engineering genius and the skill of their craftsmen that enabled them to erect great baths and recreation centers, the water supplied by aqueducts from sources miles away (Plumbing and Mechanical).

When modern men and women realized the need for sanitation and sewerage, it was to the heritage of the Roman legacy that they turned, so that contemporary plumbing and sanitation systems are derived from a re-discovery of Roman technology. Roman achievements in these fields are the basis for modern technology, technology that millions of people utilize every day. It was beause of their superior engineering skills and architectural ideas that the Romans could conquer, influence and rule such a huge empire (Szasz). It was once more the arch that enabled the Romans to build their aqueducts taking sanitation to their colonies, such a system was unheard of in other civilizations but Romans were a very sanitary and hygienic people to whom fresh water was very important (Szasz). Water conveyed by aqueducts was used for the baths and for toilets as well as for drinking. Szasz suggests that the grandeur of public baths has yet to be equaled and stresses the communal nature of bathing in Roman culture, which is hardly the custom today. Baths were public forums were people debated topical issues, where civil life flourished. Sadly, while the institution of the public library survived into modern times, there public discussion is discouraged except at special meetings. Thus, the Romans brought clean water to the towns and cities they conquered using the aqueducts which are still inspiring and influential monuments today (Szasz). We can only speculate whether many modern constructions will retain the same lasting grandeur as that which the Romans built, says Szasz, adding that Rome was not built in a day.

Roads that were originally surveyed and built by Romans still function as major transport networks across vast spaces enabling daily trade, communication, travel and cultural exchange. Even where Romans never trod, the concept of interlinking highways that connect city to city, allowing both the business of life and that of government to take place, owes much to Rome. Much of what we take for granted in the modern world, such as clean water, sanitation and sewage, owes a debt to Rome. When we enter a public building, the chances that some feature of architecture was inspired if not copied from Rome is high. In addition to everyday language that derives from Latin, including computer (computare), auditorium, stadium, school (schola), library (liber), diploma, the use of Roman technology or of Roman inspired technology make the impact of Romes legacy on modern life ubiquitous, Imagine if we did not attend a school where we receive a diploma, study in the Library or watch a football game in a Stadium but used other words for all of these Life would not be the same. Words derived from Latin, including the above are found in all European languages. Hygienic refuse disposal is taken for granted. We take for granted that water will flow from the facet when we turn on a tap. The technology that makes this happen is Roman.

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