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The Roman Empire, which existed for many centuries, was a highly organized civilization that simply could not but leave behind valuable developments and inventions.
Civilizations are rightfully credited with incredible architectural, military, cultural, astrological and technical feats.
It was from there that the famous philosophers, healers and generals went, and the exact sciences and the humanities have preserved invaluable knowledge for the modern generation.
Let’s pay tribute to the ancient developed state and find out which 10 of its inventions we effectively use in the modern world.
10 Roads
In the 5th century BC, the ancient representatives of the nation began to lay roads and communications, showing the world the first streets, lanes and avenues. This active process was supplemented by the drawing of the first road atlases and the development of the necessary traffic rules.
Mile columns were installed along the perimeter of the roads, which can be considered prototypes of road signs. They indicated information about the distance traveled, the names of dignitaries, the names of places of leisure, etc.
The roads paved by the ancient Romans could last for centuries and did not require “patches” like modern asphalt roads. They were built in several approaches: a deep pit was dug, stone blocks were installed, and the space was filled with a mixture of gravel and mud. The top layer consisted of convex plates that allowed water to drain.
9. arched structures
No less complex and interesting are the arched structures of Ancient Rome. The population noticed that the arch holds the load better than, for example, a horizontal beam. The Romans borrowed the designs of the arches, improving them with a luxurious design.
Engineers broke the arches into a number of small parts, moving away from the original one-piece design. This is how segmental arches appeared with a number of advantages: an increase in potential space and savings on building material. The arches, designed by the Romans, reduced the risk of flooding, and the piers were virtually wear-free.
8. Heating System
The first prototypes of heating systems were also invented in ancient Rome, where special attention was paid to improving the performance and comfort of the home. Improvised “batteries” were invented when trying to cope with winter frosts.
It was expensive and difficult to heat the furnace, so the engineers decided to let hot air into the room through the voids of the columns. It is known that steam always tends to rise upwards. The Romans took advantage of this property by supplying heated air from an oven placed under the dwelling. Hot steam filled the voids of housing, thereby heating it.
7. Newspaper
The first mass media appeared exactly where the awareness and education of the population played a significant role. The newspaper then was a scroll of parchment, which the “journalist” filled with handwritten text, covering the burning topics of the state.
The hand-made program was called “The Affairs of the Roman People”. After preparation, it was delivered to key personalities in the country directly into the hands or hung out for general familiarization in the squares.
The newspaper talked about unusual events, political intrigues, weather and nature, the lives of great compatriots, as well as rumors and intrigues.
6. Concrete
The first concrete (we are talking about a high-quality material that is not next to modern) was also made in ancient Rome. It was distinguished by extraordinary wear resistance, strength and reliability – the buildings have been preserved in amazing condition to this day.
The progenitor of concrete is the engineer Marcus Vitruvius, who, according to historical chronicles, was the first to combine pumice, crushed stone and ash in sea water, obtaining a dense gray mass. It was from this high-quality mixture that the hitherto known dome of the Pantheon was erected, which is about 2 thousand years old.
5. Surgical instruments
The first known healers and healers of ancient Rome used precision instruments in their work. Their prototypes spurred the development of modern surgical devices and instruments.
Even the famous caesarean section – and that was first performed in Rome. In the country, technological instruments were widely used in hospitals and clinics, bandaging complex wounds, fixing fractures, and even stopping significant bleeding.
4. book binding
Along with the first newspapers, the first “book bindings” appeared in ancient Rome. Of course, there were no books, as such, in local libraries, since all information was recorded on parchment, stone tablets and papyrus.
However, it was the Romans who guessed to stitch several pages of parchment, creating a kind of thematic sections. In this way, the first political documents and codes, as well as historical chronicles, were created.
3. Roman numerals
It would be possible not to remind about this heritage of the most ancient civilization. We still actively use Roman numerals to indicate the era or serial number of the reigning emperor.
Keep in mind that not all world civilizations had their own reliable number system, which, moreover, would have been carried over many centuries to the present.
2. Postal service
Since the first newspapers and bindings appeared, then the delivery of correspondence could not help but develop. As the empire grew to its colossal size, connections between districts, the ability to transfer packages, goods and up-to-date information, were needed.
The famous emperor Augustus was the founder of the first postal service, which functioned between the provinces and had at its disposal its own “transport” – horse carts.
1. Plumbing and “sanitary and epidemiological station”
A clean civilization with a high level of organization has always taken care of the comfort of citizens. In the process of housing construction, the first sewer systems were laid, and primitive, but quite functional and high-quality plumbing appeared.
Drainage pipes connected to each other were laid in the room, which were necessarily washed with water coming from local streams. The Romans also laid drainage systems to ensure the outflow of excess moisture and dirt from street roads.
Modern citizens and even global industries still use the technologies and secrets revealed by caring Romans many centuries ago. It would be great if our generation left unique developments for the people of the future to make life easier and stimulate further development.