Why were arches so important to Rome?

Answer 1

The arches impacted Romans in a decorative and a practical way. In the decorative sense, the arches were memorials to famous persons with their deeds carved into them usually both on the outside and inside. They also added decor to gateways to public places. In a practical sense the arches impacted the Romans by being used for the above ground aqueducts which brought fresh water to the city and also for bridges which made travel easier and safer.

The arches impacted Romans in a decorative and a practical way. In the decorative sense, the arches were memorials to famous persons with their deeds carved into them usually both on the outside and inside. They also added decor to gateways to public places. In a practical sense the arches impacted the Romans by being used for the above ground aqueducts which brought fresh water to the city and also for bridges which made travel easier and safer.

The arches impacted Romans in a decorative and a practical way. In the decorative sense, the arches were memorials to famous persons with their deeds carved into them usually both on the outside and inside. They also added decor to gateways to public places. In a practical sense the arches impacted the Romans by being used for the above ground aqueducts which brought fresh water to the city and also for bridges which made travel easier and safer.

The arches impacted Romans in a decorative and a practical way. In the decorative sense, the arches were memorials to famous persons with their deeds carved into them usually both on the outside and inside. They also added decor to gateways to public places. In a practical sense the arches impacted the Romans by being used for the above ground aqueducts which brought fresh water to the city and also for bridges which made travel easier and safer.

The arches impacted Romans in a decorative and a practical way. In the decorative sense, the arches were memorials to famous persons with their deeds carved into them usually both on the outside and inside. They also added decor to gateways to public places. In a practical sense the arches impacted the Romans by being used for the above ground aqueducts which brought fresh water to the city and also for bridges which made travel easier and safer.

The arches impacted Romans in a decorative and a practical way. In the decorative sense, the arches were memorials to famous persons with their deeds carved into them usually both on the outside and inside. They also added decor to gateways to public places. In a practical sense the arches impacted the Romans by being used for the above ground aqueducts which brought fresh water to the city and also for bridges which made travel easier and safer.

The arches impacted Romans in a decorative and a practical way. In the decorative sense, the arches were memorials to famous persons with their deeds carved into them usually both on the outside and inside. They also added decor to gateways to public places. In a practical sense the arches impacted the Romans by being used for the above ground aqueducts which brought fresh water to the city and also for bridges which made travel easier and safer.

The arches impacted Romans in a decorative and a practical way. In the decorative sense, the arches were memorials to famous persons with their deeds carved into them usually both on the outside and inside. They also added decor to gateways to public places. In a practical sense the arches impacted the Romans by being used for the above ground aqueducts which brought fresh water to the city and also for bridges which made travel easier and safer.

The arches impacted Romans in a decorative and a practical way. In the decorative sense, the arches were memorials to famous persons with their deeds carved into them usually both on the outside and inside. They also added decor to gateways to public places. In a practical sense the arches impacted the Romans by being used for the above ground aqueducts which brought fresh water to the city and also for bridges which made travel easier and safer.

Answer 2

The arch had strength and structural stability and can support great weight, making it useful for big buildings and for bridges. it was important for many architectural projects.

The Romans also built triumphal arches which were monuments which celebrated the victories in battle of the emperors.

Answer 3

The Romans effected what historians call the Roman architectural revolution or concrete revolution. This involved the extensive use of concrete, the barrel (simple) arch and the vaulted arch. These three elements enabled the Romans to go beyond Greek methods of construction which used cut-stone and post-and-beam or post-and-lintel structures.

The Romans developed a type of concrete (opus caementicium) which was as resistant as modern concrete and also set underwater (and therefore could also be used to build docks for ports, dams, aqueducts and bridges). It was less fluid than modern concrete and had to be layered by hand. It was made by mixing a volcanic rock called pozzolana (which is named after Pozzuoli, a suburb of Naples) with lime as a binder and the addition of rubble from stones, bricks or pottery shreds as aggregates which added body to it. Concrete had technical and practical advantages. It was exceptionally strong and could span great distances when shaped into arches, vaults and domes as it could be moulded. It was layered into a formwork and it took the shape of its container. It did not require skilled labour and therefore was cheaper. It was much faster for construction than laborious masonry walls. It was safer because concrete vaulted roofing was fireproof, unlike the wooden-beamed roofs of traditional construction post-and-lintel methods.

The potential of the previously little used arch and vault, was fully exploited for the first time. The Romans were the first to fully appreciate the advantage of these structures. The (simple, barrel) arch has a strong load- bearing capacity. The vault (vaulted arch) has an even greater load-bearing capacity and its structure is suited to support large roofs. Their construction in concrete made them easier to build and even stronger. This led to the use larger and monumental arches and vaults on a grand scale. However, the Romans did not abandon masonry arches and vaults. The vaulted arch came into two forms: the groin arch is formed by two to four intersecting barrel (simple) arches and the rib arch, where the intersecting arches were not of the same diameter; the ribbed arch has intersected arches of different diameter.

Answer 4

The Roman arch improved Roman architecture, rather than the Roman Empire. Together with concrete, the arch and the vaulted arch (or vault) revolutionised ancient architecture. Historians call this the Roman (or concrete architectural revolution). The barrel (simple) arch has a great load bearing capacity and the vault is suited to building large roofs. The vaulted arch or vault consists of two to four intersecting arches. Some forms of concrete were known before the Romans, but they were hardly ever used. The Romans were the first to make large-scale use of concrete. They were also the first to make large-scale use of the arch and the vault. Concrete, the arch and the vault became essential to build, large buildings and large roofs, such as basilicas (public buildings) amphitheatres (arenas), theatres, baths, circuses (racing tracks) , forts and fortifications and dams. They also made it possible to build bridges which were much longer than before and could cross much wider rivers and valleys. They also led to the construction of the famous bridge works of Roman aqueducts. Concrete could be moulded with formwork and shaped into and arches and vaults. A prime example of the potential of this revolution is the Colosseum. Its facade has eighty arches along three of its four tiers which support this gigantic structure. Internally, the tiers are supported by vaults. Concrete added further strength and made construction quicker and easier.

Roman bridges were built in concrete and stone and the arch were used to lengthen their spans. Trajan's bridge crossed the river Danube and it was the longest arch bridge in both total and span length for more than 1,000 years. It was 1,135 m (3,724 ft.) long, 15 m (49 ft.) wide, and 19 m (62 ft.) above the water level. If high bridges were needed, two or three tiers of arches were built on top of each other to reach the desired height. The Pont du Gard, a bridge for an aqueduct which supplied Nimes in southern France, is the greatest example of a multi-tier bridge. It has three tiers of recessed arches with the main piers in line one above the other. The first two tiers have very high and wide arches and a third tier has low and narrow arches. It reaches a height of 48.8 metres (160 feet). The lower tier is 142 metres (466 feet) long and has six arches 22 metres (72 ft.) high. The second tier is 242 metres (794 ft.) long and has eleven arches 20 metres (66 ft.) high. The upper tier is 275 metre (902 ft.) long. It originally had 47 arches (only 35 have survived) 7 metres (23 ft.) high. The width of the first pier is 6 metres (20th.), that of the second is 4 metres (13 ft.) and that of the third is 3 metres (23 ft.).

Answer 5

The arches impacted Romans in a decorative and a practical way. In the decorative sense, the arches were memorials to famous persons with their deeds carved into them usually both on the outside and inside. They also added decor to gateways to public places. In a practical sense the arches impacted the Romans by being used for the above ground aqueducts which brought fresh water to the city and also for bridges which made travel easier and safer.

Answer 6

Basically by conquest, but Rome was also able to absorb the cultures of the conquered peoples and give them the benefits of Roman civilization.