ance between two points is a straight line and built their roads incredibly straight, stretching for miles without a single turn. The use of stone in building roads enabled people to travel during inclement weather while dirt roads may remain too muddy to travel upon for many days after a hard rain. The Ancient Romans also knew of a road building technique that escapes the builders of modern roads in states such as Florida. This technique is known as crowning, this involves making the center of the roads higher than the sides, with a gradual slope to allow water to run off the sides instead of collecting in the middle. By the time the great Roman Empire fell, the Roman Army had built roads connecting all of their empire to Rome.One of Roman Engineerings greatest accomplishments was the use of the arch. The arch shape is very strong, able to support great amounts of weight. This allowed Romans to build massive structures that would stand for many centuries. The Romans adapted the arch design to fit many purposes. The barrel vault is merely an elongated arch; this was used for buildings tombs and sewers. The dome is an adaptation of the arch. The dome is an arch revolved on its vertical axis. The best example of the dome in ancient Rome is the Pantheon. The basic arch was used in almost every large building in Rome. Romans also used arches in the construction of aqueducts and bridges. These arched structures of the ancient Romans were all built to last and there are many well preserved remains of arched structures in modern Rome.The Romans two greatest uses of the arch are the aqueduct and the bridge. The aqueducts provide Roman citizens an ample water supply. Aqueducts drained water from great distances into Roman cities. Being able to provide a water supply virtually anywhere, the Romans were able to build cities close enough together that you could travel from Rome to Germania without having to stop between cities. The aqueduct consist...
