Architecture and engineering

Main articles: Ancient Roman architecture, Roman engineering, and Roman technology

Amphitheatres of the Roman Empire

Construction on the Flavian Amphitheatre, more commonly known as the Colosseum, began during the reign of
Vespasian

The chief Roman contributions to architecture were the arch, vault and the dome. Even after more
than 2,000 years some Roman structures still stand, due in part to sophisticated methods of making
cements and concrete.[286][287]Roman roads are considered the most advanced roads built until the
early 19th century. The system of roadways facilitated military policing, communications, and trade.
The roads were resistant to floods and other environmental hazards. Even after the collapse of the
central government, some roads remained usable for more than a thousand years.

Roman bridges were among the first large and lasting bridges, built from stone with the arch as the
basic structure. Most utilized concrete as well. The largest Roman bridge was Trajan's bridge over
the lower Danube, constructed by Apollodorus of Damascus, which remained for over a millennium
the longest bridge to have been built both in terms of overall span and length. [288][289][290]

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The Romans built many dams and reservoirs for water collection, such as the Subiaco Dams, two of
which fed the Anio Novus, one of the largest aqueducts of Rome.[291][292][293] They built 72 dams just on
the Iberian peninsula, and many more are known across the Empire, some still in use.
Several earthen dams are known from Roman Britain, including a well-preserved example
from Longovicium (Lanchester).

The Pont du Gard aqueduct, which crosses the Gardon River in southern France, is on UNESCO's list of World
Heritage Sites

The Romans constructed numerous aqueducts. A surviving treatise by Frontinus, who served
as curator aquarum (water commissioner) under Nerva, reflects the administrative importance
placed on ensuring the water supply. Masonry channels carried water from distant springs and
reservoirs along a precise gradient, using gravity alone. After the water passed through the
aqueduct, it was collected in tanks and fed through pipes to public fountains, baths, toilets, or
industrial sites.[294] The main aqueducts in the city of Rome were the Aqua Claudia and the Aqua
Marcia.[295] The complex system built to supply Constantinople had its most distant supply drawn from
over 120 km away along a sinuous route of more than 336 km.[296] Roman aqueducts were built to
remarkably fine tolerance, and to a technological standard that was not to be equalled until modern
times.[297] The Romans also made use of aqueducts in their extensive mining operations across the
empire, at sites such as Las Medulas and Dolaucothi in South Wales.[298]

Insulated glazing (or "double glazing") was used in the construction of public baths. Elite housing in
cooler climates might have hypocausts, a form of central heating. The Romans were the first culture
to assemble all essential components of the much later steam engine, when Hero built the aeolipile.
With the crank and connecting rod system, all elements for constructing a steam engine (invented in
1712)Hero's aeolipile (generating steam power), the cylinder and piston (in metal force pumps),
non-return valves (in water pumps), gearing (in water mills and clocks)were known in Roman
times.[299]