Engineering under Roman empire Flashcards
When was Rome founded and by whom?
753 BC by Romulus.
What were the three forms of Rome as a nation? In what order?
- Roman kingdom
- Roman Republic
- Roman empire
How did the Roman republic end?
Julius Caesar walked his army into Rome without right of triumph.
What is right of triumph?
An allowance to march your army through Rome if you have just proved successful in battle?
Who was the first emperor of Rome?
Augustus Caesar.
What was the Phalanx system?
A technological and strategic Roman army system, adopted from the Greeks.
What did the Romans adopt after the Phalanx system, making the Phalanx obsolete?
The 4 line system. 4 lines is a legion.
What did the 4 line system compose of?
- First line - 1200 Velites, youngest, sheildman, there to intercept
- Second line - 1200 Hastiti, First assault, small shields, short spears
- Third line - 1200 Principes,
Strong, big, tough, heavy armour - Fourth line - 600 Triarii, veterans of warm, best armour, last resort
What was a huge benefit of the 4 line system?
Constantly exposed to fresh troops. Unlimited supply of troops from multiple alliances helped this.
What were the reforms of Marius?
After 107 BC the landless and poor can enter the army, get a paid career, and receive land after 25 years of serving.
What backfired about the reforms of Marius?
Eventually had to give out much more land than they expected to. This is why the Romans expanded as vastly as they did.
What is a Castra?
A stone fort for each legion, permanent and built once a year for each legion. All were standardized.
What was all within a Castra?
- running water
- tower/castle
- factory
- hospital
- veterinary stands
- private and public toilets, baths
What is significant about the discovery of Vindolanda writing tablets?
Proved vast communication networks in Roman times with discovery of standardized envelopes and mail.
How large was the road network of the Romans?
Over 80,000 km of roads.
Why was the road system so vast?
- Quick way of moving people
- Kept people busy
What was a Groma?
A Greek invented measuring tool used to get straight angles.
What were the 6 layers of a Roman road?
- Pavimentum (compacted sand or dry earth)
- Statutem (crushed rock)
- Rudus (cemented large gravel)
- Nucleus (cemented sand and small gravel)
- Summun (large stone slabs)
- Parallel drainage ditch
What was the dug out called for the roads and how deep was it?
Fossa, 1.5m deep.
What was located every 15 miles along Roman roads?
Inns, hotels, horse changing stations.
What was the Millarium Aureum?
Center forum of Rome, a giant column would have directions to every single city in the Roman empire with instructions on how far, how long a time, roads, and where to change horses.
What main support did Romans initially use in their architecture?
Concrete - lime, volcanic ash, water. NOT marble
What were the three architectural orders?
- Doric - cheapest, traditional, from Greeks
- Ionic - favourite, from Ionia, synonymous with Rome
- Corinthian - most expensive, difficult, labour intensive
How was the upkeep of the city of Rome paid for? Why?
Entirely by wealthy people. Was considered prestigious since you’d get your name put on anything you paid for.
