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CLST 103 > Roman Technology and Engineering > Flashcards

Roman Technology and Engineering Flashcards

1
Q

What did natural philosophers employ in their studies?

A

Reason rather than experiment

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2
Q

What is the greatest roman technological achievement?

A

Civil engineering (e.g. Pantheon and the Forum)

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3
Q

What does an artifex and faber mean?

A

A worker in wood, stone, or metal - closest to modern engineer

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4
Q

What does architectus mean?

A

Architect and/or engineer in greek

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5
Q

What does machina mean?

A

Machine in greek

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6
Q

What examples are there of roman willingness to adopt foreign technology?

A

Technological vocabulary of different languages and the roman water supply and drainage system are adopted from the Etrsuscans

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7
Q

What kind of knowledge was required for construction of the colosseum and aqueducts?

A

Knowledge passed down, although little surviving evidence

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8
Q

What does Vitruvius write about in De Architectura?

A

Books 1-7: layout of buildings and construction of floors and walls
Book 8: Water-supply systems
Books 9-10: Engineering topics such as clocks and machines

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9
Q

What were the conditions for stable roads?

A

Stable footing, no steep gradients, straight, durable, prolonged use

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10
Q

When was seafaring permitted?

A

Summer months

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11
Q

How did mariners navigate?

A

Prominent landmarks and the sun during daytime, stars at night

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12
Q

What was a corvus?

A

Hinged bridge that would be dropped on enemy ships

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13
Q

What examples of innovation due to concrete is there?

A

Octagonal room at Nero’s Domus Aurea, as well as Hadrian’s Pantheon

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14
Q

When did water supply evolve?

A

Under Claudius’ censorship

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15
Q

What was the castellum divisorium?

A

Primary distribution basin

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16
Q

What evidence of animal power is there?

A

Grain mills at Pompeii and Ostia

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17
Q

What was amurca?

A

Olive pits or discarded flesh from olive oil used to generate energy

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18
Q

How was temperature raised at the baths?

A

Burning plant matter

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19
Q

Why is the archaeological record limited?

A

Devices made from organic material are lost and tools made from bronze or glass were recycled

20
Q

What word does technology come from?

A

Tekhnē in greek

21
Q

What is the latin word for craft or art?

A

Ars

22
Q

What is an artificer?

A

Craftsman or artisan

23
Q

What is a faber?

A

A craftsman who works in wood, stone, or metal

24
Q

Where does the word engineer come from?

A

Ingenium in latin

25
Q

What did the Heron of Alexandria write about?

A

Math, physics, mechanics, practical devices, and gadgets called automata

26
Q

What did Pliny the Elder write about?

A

37 books of natural history in relation to humans, frequently anecdotal

27
Q

What did Frontinus write about and who was he?

A

He was a curator aquarum (head officer in charge of the urban waterworks) and he wrote a treatise on the aqueducts of Rome

28
Q

What older cultures did Romans adopt technology from?

A

Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia

29
Q

What was the main purpose of Rome’s roads?

A

To transport military

30
Q

What was the via appia?

A

Original major roadway built under Claudius and connected Rome to Capua

31
Q

How did naval ships attack?

A

Metal noses used to ram enemy vessels

32
Q

Could cargo vessels travel across open water?

A

Yes (e.g. ship convoys transporting grain from Alexandria to Rome)

33
Q

What was opus caementicium?

A

Aggregate composed of mortar and small stones

34
Q

What brick-style was initially used and what did it evolve to?

A

Opus incertum (irregularly shaped blocks) and into square blocks of regular size called opus retriculatum

35
Q

What was the benefit of the concrete hardening underwater?

A

Could build harbours, aqueducts, and bridges

36
Q

Where was water originally sources from?

A

From the Tiber, natural springs, and wells

37
Q

What was the surface of aqueducts lined with?

A

Waterproof plaster called opus signinum

38
Q

What is a dioptra?

A

An instrument used for measuring horizontal and vertical distances

39
Q

What is a groma?

A

An instrument used to measure right angles in the horizontal plane

40
Q

How was heat in households produced?

A

Burning of wood, charcoal, or chaff

41
Q

What was the heart of the pantheon?

A

The dome called the Rotunda

42
Q

What is the occulus?

A

30ft wide hole in the dome that eliminates stress of the dome at its weakest point

43
Q

What is the one issue at the pantheon?

A

The portico is 10ft too short and doesn’t connect with the rotunda where it should

44
Q

Is it known who built the pantheon?

A

No, but there are speculations of Hadrian or Appoladorus

45
Q

What was Trajan’s forum made of?

A

Marble

CLST 103 (9 decks)

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