Transportation+&+Infrastructure

Transportation& Infrastructure

Josh White, Matt Prouty, and Derek Zhou Derek- Derek- "All roads lead to Rome." Was an old expression used in the past by the Romans due to Rome being the core of its empire. Every time a city was conquered the people would build a road that would connect to Rome.

Derek-Roman roads seemed to have no form of traffic codes;but had various laws of what you can and not which differs from each road. They were less crowded compared to today. Some dangers were highway robbers which could ambush vehicles and people on these roads.

Derek-

Derek-Romans build milestones to help people find their way with some as tall as 6 feet tall that would lead to the nearest city.

Derek- During the age of 2 B.c. lodges were constructed every ten miles. The three types of lodges were mutationes, mansiones, and civitates. Mutations provided fresh horses to emperor's messengers and mansiones were travels could spend the night and resupply there items. Civitates were found near junctions of major roads or in principle cities. This kind of lodge also provided people he comforts just like a modern home in Rome. == = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Derek- Some interesting roadways are the Via Appia, Via Hadriana, and Kazanpass. During the age of 312 B.c. Appius Claudius constructed the first roadway known as Via Appia. In addition Via Hadriana led from Carthage to Thugga. It was constructed by digging a huge ditch and required rams to compact the soil. It was further added with nine inches of stone and over it with thick course of gravel. When finished it was eighteen feet wide. Furthermore the Kazanpass was interesting because it was carved out of rocky cliffs and was only wide enough for one wagon at a time. If it collapsed there was a method to dig and carry out the rocks and if it didn't work they would heat the rock and pour vinegar over it. It cause a reaction to the rock by splitting it open.

Derek- Some interesting bridges the romans built was the bridge near the Rhine river. Julius Caesar supervised the construction of this bridge and overcame challenges he met from the river since it was 1,300 ft wide, depth of six meters, and currents at six ft per second. He came to the solution by using parallel sets of piles to incline the direction of the current and the other set was inclined in the other direction. It was tightened by iron brace and was finished in just ten days.

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**//Roads ://** = = The Romans got the idea for the creation of arches in the building of bridges and the starting of a network of roads from the Celts. These features were perfected by the Roman Engineers and were applied throughout the entire Empire. To build the roads of ancient Rome a roadbed was first dug down three feet and twenty-three feet across to keep them straight. The hole was then filled with a layer of stone and sand, then a layer of smaller gravel was put on top of that, then it was leveled. The sides of the holes were placed hand-carved stones. To make the top layer in most cases the stone was shaped as a pentagon and were then fit together. There was also a slope in the roads from the center so that when it rained the water would drain off to the sides of the road into a ditch on the side of it. The roads of Rome were made, just like a lot of other public works, constructed by the army. In the end the Roman empire was connected together by 53,000 miles of road.

=//**Water Transportation :**//= Because of the slow speed and small capacity that land travel had, sea travel was a more preferred way of transportation when it was possible. The two kinds of boats that were constructed were the galley and the sailboat. The Roman sailboat was obviously powered by the wind, while the Roman galley had rower going along both of the sides of the ship, and there were often multiple levels of rowers. Most often the warships of the Romans were galleys. These boats could be taken by wind, but when the conditions were not the greatest they could be rowed.

The way that the Romans built their ships was very similar the techniques of the Greeks. Earlier civilization would build their ships by first building the frame of the ship and then building a shell of planks over the frame. Although Rome worked the opposite. The Romans would join planks together from end to end by using a mortise-and-tenon joint, a joint in which a part of one of the planks was thinned down and a slot was carved into the plank it was going to connect to. After the shell was completed and frame was then built into it. The structure in the end was very sturdy and waterproof. The ship builders would then add a layer of lead on the surfaces of the boat that would be underwater. The ships of the Romans had eventually reached the capability of being able to hold up to 1200 tons of weight. =//**Aqueducts :**//= = //** When the cities of the Roman Empire began to grow in size, the Romans would need more fresh water. For this reason the Romans developed aqueducts. What these aqueducts are basically are channels from a spring of fresh water to a city or town. These aqueducts were made of a combination of different materials including; wood, stone, and brick. Some of the aqueducts were made above the ground, but many of them were constructed below the ground's surface. Water from the aqueducts would reach the city and collect in an extremely big collection area that sat on top of the highest area above the city. The reservoirs that held the water would be connected to the various parts of the city that needed them, such as the public bath houses, by lead pipes that went throughout the city. **// =

All of the aqueducts had to have someone to look over them and maintain them. One person would be assigned to do this. Many different people had to undertake the task of building the structures too. These people consisted of slaves, paid workers, and men in legions. When the legions needed to create a new fort, they would have to be able to provide themselves with their own water supply by extending pipes to where they needed them. media type="youtube" key="oTMrfyAt6Mo" height="390" width="480"

=//Work Cited:// =

Rymer, Eric. "Roman Roads." Web. 27 Mar. 2011. .

"Greece and Rome - Transportation." Web. 27 Mar. 2011. 

"Roman Aqueducts." UNRV History. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. .

--- Matt- Roman infrastructure was based on trade. Trading in ancient Rome was vital to Rome's expansion and survival. As previously listed, Rome had means of trade by sea and land. Due to Rome's great expansion, the Roman people had made contact with India around the 1st century A.D. and with China in 166 A.D. When they made contact with civilizations such as China, they offered things such as rhinoceros horns, ivory, and tortoise shell that they had either brought from Rome or other conquered civilizations. Trade by sea was most popular to the Romans because of the large fleet they had developed. Not only did they travel vast seas, but they also carried smaller amounts of goods up river with small boats. Land travel was also common, the typical means of transportation for land was a four-wheeled wagon, shown here-

Matt- There were two types of Roman merchants; the Negotiatores and Mercatores. The Negotiatores lent money on interest, bought and sold demanded goods in bulk and kept books or //tabulae// which were considered proof for the courts, if needed. Mercatores were often plebians or freed slaves. Mercatores could be found in open air markets and sometimes on the side of the road. When the Roman military was in fighting season the mercatores would usually follow the Roman campaigns, selling food and clothes to the soldiers and paid the soldiers cash in return for any captured items of value.

Matt- Roman infrastructure was founded on Rome's ability to expand by their vast roads.