The Genius Engineering of Roman Aqueducts

We tend to think of the Roman Empire as having fallen around 476 AD, but if things had gone a little differently, it might have ended much earlier, and in fact, technically before the Roman Empire began. For example, in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated and a civil war raged within his territory, causing the founding of the Roman Republic to collapse and seeming to take away Roman civilization. It is in the hands of one man to ensure the continuation of civilization. “His name was Octavian, and he was Caesar’s adopted son,” says science reporter Carolyn Beans. new coded chamber video above. “At first no one expected much from him,” but once he took power, he set about rebuilding the empire “city by city” before it was officially declared an empire.

This ambitious restoration project required equally ambitious infrastructure enhancements, but no example demonstrated Roman engineering prowess more clearly than the imperial aqueducts.

Using the example of the system that fed the city of Nemausus, or modern-day Nimes, Beans explains everything that went into its construction over long distances and difficult terrain (none of which, of course, benefited from modern construction techniques), with the help of a professor of classical archeology at the University of Texas at Austin. Loven Taylor. The most basic task for Roman engineers was determining the proper slope of an aqueduct’s channels. If the slope is too steep, flowing water can cause damage. If it’s too flat, you might stop before reaching your destination.

Surveying the routes of future waterways required ancient tools such as: Dioptra (used to establish direction and distance over long stretches of land), Groma (for straight lines and right angles between checkpoints), and Cholobates (to check if the surface is level). Construction of a network of underground tunnels, called , could then begin. Kunikuri. If it proved impossible to dig them, arcades were built. Pont du Gard It still remains in the south of France, seen in the video. This is primarily thanks to the arched arrangement of the limestone bricks, whose geometry directs tension so that the stones can support themselves without the need for masonry. As water begins to flow into the city through the aqueduct, it begins to flow into gardens, fountains, Thermaeand elsewhere, through conduits that happened to be made of lead, but even the most brilliant Roman engineers at the time could not have foreseen all the problems.

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Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages ​​and cultures. His projects include the Substack newsletter books about cities and a book Stateless City: A Stroll Through Los Angeles in the 21st Century. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.