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Ancient Roman Civilization
The <anchor>Ancient Roman Civilization</anchor> started as a small and seemingly unassuming city on the Italian Peninsula. Legend says it was founded by twin decedents of the prince of Troy, who fled to Italy when Troy was destroyed. While the Roman Civilization was massively successful, what it excelled at was taking and improving upon the ideas of others. The Romans were not the first people to build bridges, archways, aqueducts, or roads. However, they did perfect them. The Romans were open-minded, and as their civilization expanded into an empire, they assimilated the culture, religions, and any ancient advancements they came across as they went.
Ancient Roman Inventions That Are Still Used Today - WorldAtlas
roman streets

# Ancient Roman Inventions That Are Still Used Today

The Ancient Roman Empire was one of the largest and longest lasting empires in ancient history. It was also one of the most influential: Roman philosophy, technology, architecture, art, and literature have been instrumental in shaping the modern world. At its height, the Roman Empire was the largest civilization in the West, owing largely to the innovations and inventions driving its exceptional growth. Below are some inventions that were crucial to the development of the empire, and that continue to be use -in some form or another- today.

## Arches

The Arch of Caracalla is a Roman triumphal arch located at Djémila in Algeria (Cuicul). It was built during the early 3rd centuryThe Arch of Caracalla, a Roman triumphal arch located at Djémila in Algeria, built during the early 3rd century

Architectural arches were probably invented by the Etruscan civilization, an ancient Italian civilization that eventually assimilated into the Roman Empire. However, it was the Romans who honed the use of these structures and perfected them into the form we see today.

The use of arches, which are a staple of ancient Roman buildings, are considered by historians and architects to be have laid the foundations for modern architecture. They allowed the Romans to build large buildings without the use of pillars, enabling them to expand their empire more rapidly and efficiently. They are also useful for their versatility, as they can be used in different structures such as vaults, aqueducts, temples, and ceremonial triumphal arches

## Newspapers

https://romanramblings869864520.wordpress.com/Ancient roman writings used to describe current events, via https://romanramblings869864520.wordpress.com

Julius Cesar ordered the establishment of the Acta diurnal, a handwritten daily government “newsletter” that was published and posted for the public to read. The Acta diurnal informed citizens of official news and business, as well as marriages, trials, politics, and military affairs.

Though the newsletter was only one page long, it was an important source of information for citizens who had no other way to keep informed. Since then, newspapers, whether governmental or private, have continued to be the main source of news for the public.

## Postal Service

was the state mandated and supervised courier and transportation service of the Roman EmpireThe routes of the Curcis Publicus, the state mandated and supervised courier and transportation service of the Roman Empire

The Cursus publicus of the Roman Empire was one of the world’s first postal systems to be set up in history. It was the system set up by emperor Augustus in 20 BCE to deliver mail for official and governmental correspondence, including taxes and intelligence reports. The process through which mail was delivered evolved over time. At first, postal workers would pass the mail from one person to another, but the system was changed to allow for one person to deliver a message from start to finish, allowing recipients of mail to question them for more information.

The postal service existed for around 300 years, and was powered by delivery personnel riding horses and oxen. Only one surviving map reveals the extent of the system’s reach. The Tabula Peutingeriana¸ which can be seen at the Austrian National Library,shows over 500 Roman cities as delivery locations. Today, national postal services, like the United States Postal Service and the Royal Mail, are standard services in most countries around the world.

## The Julian Calendar

A reproduction of the Fasti Antiates Maiores, a painted wall-calendar from the late Roman RepublicA reproduction of the Fasti Antiates Maiores, a painted wall-calendar from the late Roman Republic via Wikipedia

The Julian Calendar was the dating system made by Julius Cesar and established as the Roman Calendar. Prior to Cesar’s innovation, the Roman calendar was based on the lunar cycle, and had to be corrected every few years by a group of pontifices, or Roman priests. This led to severe inconsistencies and inefficiencies across the empire, with people not knowing the date or with different provinces running on different time zones. The introduction of the Julian calendar standardized date-keeping across the Roman Empire, and incorporated a leap year to correct for seasonal misalignments.

The Julian Calendar was used throughout most of Christian Europe and some parts of the Americas until around the 16th century, when the world slowly began to transition to the Gregorian Calendar. The Gregorian Calendar is the most widely used today, and it preserved many elements from the Julian Calendar, shortening the year slightly to make it more accurate.

## Urban Planning

Ephesus, Jean Claude Golvin, jeanclaudegolvin.com; with Constantinople, ca. 10th century, Antoine Helbert, via antoine-helbert.comEphesus, Jean Claude Golvin, jeanclaudegolvin.com; with Constantinople, ca. 10th century, Antoine Helbert, via antoine-helbert.com

Roads, of course, were not invented by the ancient Romans. However, it was the Romans who connected remote corners of the empire in an unprecedented network of roads, grids, and civic centers. The Roman proclivity for urban planning and infrastructure ensured the smooth flow of troops, goods, and information.

The Roman road system consisted of a hierarchy of main roads (somewhat like highways) that connected distant cities complemented by secondary roads connecting towns and villages. The roads were designed with the aim of making it easier to connect the capital to the rest of the empire, hence the phrase “All roads lead to Rome”. Today, many European highways and urban grids are modelled after or are direct successors of Roman innovation.

## Aqueducts

The multiple arches of the Pont du Gard in Roman Gaul (modern-day southern France). The upper tier encloses an aqueduct that carried water to Nimes in Roman times; its lower tier was expanded in the 1740s to carry a wide road across the river.The arches of the Pont du Gard in Roman Gaul (modern-day southern France), with the upper tier enclosing an aqueduct that carried water to Nimes in Roman times, via Wikipedia

Earlier civilizations made use of simple canals and channels for their water needs, but the first aqueduct proper was built by the Romans around 312 BCE.  An aqueduct is a large structure designed to transport a large amount of water from one city to another, especially over valleys and large chasms. Roman aqueducts supplied water to a vast amount of Roman cities, and were used to transport water for irrigation, drinking, and -importantly- sanitation. The Romans were known for their public baths, hundreds of which were supplied by aqueducts.

Roman aqueducts remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years. While modern aqueducts have been greatly improved, they still rely on the same basic principles utilized thousands of years ago. In fact, some ancient Roman aqueducts are still functioning today, such as the Aqua Virgo in Rome.

## Roman Numerals

Roman numerals on old books

As you could probably tell, Roman numerals were an early invention of the Roman Empire. The symbols currently seen on clocks and titles were the basis of a counting system that was standard across a vast amount of land. The motivation behind their creation was to establish a standardized mathematical system that could be easily adopted and taught to others. This new system provided the versatility that the Romans needed to efficiently conduct trade and communication.

Sadly (for the Romans at least) Roman numerals were not made to last, and their system proved too flawed to carry over into the modern world. For example, the Romans did not have a symbol for zero and could not express fractions. Accordingly, most of Christian Europe transitioned to Arabic numerals, which continue to be dominant in most Western languages used today.

The inventions of the Romans are a true testament to the spirit of innovation and development that brought them to power. Wherever you look, remnants of the Roman empire linger on in our cultural consciousness.

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