Ancient Roman InventionsThe ancient Roman civilization which came into power some 2000 years ago gave rise to some of the more intriguing inventions that have taken place throughout the centuries. The fact of the matter is, many of these ancient Roman inventions are still used today in some way or another. Many of these inventions were conceived as a result of the warfare that Rome was always involved in but there were also some that benefited those who were of the civilian class as well. Here are some of the ancient Roman inventions, some of which you may be surprised were conceived so many years ago.

One of the building materials that is used in almost all construction is concrete. Although the formula may have changed over time, one of the ancient Roman inventions was a type of concrete that had an amazingly long lifespan. Although similar types of materials have been used for many years before the Roman Empire came into power, the formula that was used by the Romans is very similar to the Portland cement that is still being used today.

The dome which is often used in construction of religious and political structures was conceived and first built by the Romans prior to the first century AD. The Pantheon in Rome is the oldest known structure that contains one of these domes. Built in about 31 B.C., it is an ancient structure that still stands today

Good to Know:

The Roman were skilled engineers. They developed water mills for grinding grain. They used their concrete to build aqueducts to carry fresh water to towns. They also built sewage systems to keep their towns clean and healthy.

Ancient Rome will also be remembered for advanced roads and road networks. The standard width of our modern roads and tunnels is based on that of ancient Rome (there was a standard width for cart wheels, essentially based on the need of placing two horses side by side). The worn ruts in the roads made it virtually impossible to use any other measure.

The Romans didn't do that much work in mathematics, but they did develop their own way of writing numbers. Roman numerals were essentially constructed around fingers on the hand: I, II, III, IV, V and X are 1,2,3,4,5 and 10. the V stands for an open hand of fingers whilst the X (10) is two open hands back to back.

Read the “Ancient Roman Inventions” carefully. Then answer the following questions:

1. Pantheon is a well-known Roman building. Write few lines about any other famous Roman monument.

2. Where do we use Roman Numerals today? Can we use them for regular calculations?

3. Romans were known for their lavish way of living. Quite a few English idioms owe their origin to Rome. Write a few of such idioms.