Rugged Roman Architecture By Colleen Messina

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2 The Romans copied many things from the creative Greeks, but they also came up with their own good ideas.

1 Rugged Roman Architecture By Colleen Messina 1 Roman builders created some of the most rugged, incredible monuments in history. You might be surprised at how much modern architecture is possible because of the ancient Romans. 2 The Romans copied many things from the creative Greeks, but they also came up with their own good ideas. If a Roman architect popped into a time machine and visited the twenty first century, he would recognize some of these ideas. He would feel proud of the Roman contribution to our world. If he stopped by a McDonald's to fortify himself with a burger, he might be happy to see those golden arches. He might smile and remember how much arches helped create some amazing Roman structures. 3 Arches solved an enormous building problem. The Romans were the first ancient architects to use arches in many kinds of buildings. They used wooden scaffolding to support their arches as they were being built. An arch can support a lot of weight. With arches, Roman architects built walls over doors or windows. They built high, strong walls with a minimum amount of stone. Arches made the aqueduct water system possible, which gave Romans water in their homes and public buildings. 4 The Romans also built a unique road system. Their spectacular roads covered thousands of miles. Soldiers could march along these roads quickly in order to keep an eye on the vast Roman Empire. Before these paved roads, the Romans had to travel along muddy ruts. Their chariot wheels got stuck! The paved roads could be used all year, and the Roman army could move their horses and equipment quickly to new places. The Romans liked straight roads, so they even tunneled through cliffs. However, the surfaces of the roads were curved so that rainwater could drain off into ditches. 5 Besides designing an incredible road system, the Romans invented a fantastic new material called concrete. Concrete comes from simple ingredients. If you were a Roman builder, this is the recipe you would use to make your tough, magnificent concrete. First, you would make a mortar from lime and water. Then, you would add volcanic sand and stone rubble. You would stir and stir with your big Roman muscles until it became moldable. It would look like a gooey blob of gray cookie dough with chunks in it, only the chunks would be pebbles instead of chocolate chips! When it dried, it would become hard. It would never become soft again, even if it got wet. It was the perfect substance for all kinds of buildings. Concrete made Roman architects happy. 6 Romans used concrete for the magnificent Coliseum, a structure that inspired today's sports stadiums. It could seat thousands of people. People entered the round structure through 76 public entrances. Doesn't that sound like a football game? The Romans watched gladiator fights and chariot races at the Coliseum. These events were exciting for Roman citizens. 7 The chariot races were held at a huge circular track called the Circus. Before a race, priests and officials paraded around the circle in a great procession. Then, the horses raced around the track seven times. The turning points at the ends of the track were dangerous, and only the best drivers even survived. Often, they would crash. The Romans called this a "shipwreck." The drivers tried to protect themselves by wearing helmets on their heads. They also wore pads and leather bandages on their legs. They probably looked a little bit like modern football players! All of this excitement was possible because of concrete. 8 The Romans perfected another building material. They made bricks out of baked clay. In 2005, Italian archaeologists discovered that two brothers made most of the bricks for Rome's greatest monuments. They discovered two furnaces in the tiny village of Mugnano, which is about 50 miles north of Rome. The two brothers were Tullus and Lucanus Domitii. Archaeologist Tiziano Gasperoni believes that the Domitii furnaces provided bricks for spectacular buildings such as the Coliseum and bin/vspec.cgi 1/12

2 the Pantheon. 9 How did the archaeologist figure this out? Each Roman bricklayer had a special mark on his bricks. Some had circular marks. Others had rectangular or moon shaped marks. The mark contained the name of the brick maker and the location of the brickfield. The lucky brothers at Mugnano had the ideal spot for a furnace because that area had excellent clay, as well as water and wood. No wonder they made so many bricks. 10 The Romans were among the greatest builders in history. The rugged, beautiful Coliseum still inspires awe. Concrete and arches make our cities possible. The phrase "do as the Romans do" could well apply to many aspects of modern architecture. Copyright 2016 edhelper bin/vspec.cgi 2/12

3 Name Date Rugged Roman Architecture 1. Which architectural feature did the Romans invent and perfect? Arches Bridges Doorways Windowsills 3. What supplied the ancient Romans with water? Aqueducts The Coliseum Paved roads The Senate 5. What did the Romans call a crash during a chariot race? A train wreck A disaster A good time A shipwreck 7. Which substance did the Romans invent? Play dough Grout Mud Concrete 2. Which convenience would not have been possible for the Romans without the arch? Their road system Their water system Their government Their fast food restaurants 4. What was one sports event that the Romans held in their Coliseum? Roman Idol singing competitions Chariot races Soccer tournaments Football games 6. Roman roads had many winding curves in them so the army could have a scenic tour of the empire. False True 8. What did the Romans make their bricks from? Styrofoam Play dough Baked clay Wood bin/vspec.cgi 3/12

4 Name Date Rugged Roman Architecture If you had a chance to work as a Roman architect, which structure would you like to build, and why? bin/vspec.cgi 4/12

5 Name Date Rugged Roman Architecture Pretend you are a Roman builder who came to our century in a time machine. Write a formal letter to your family describing at least two structures that you feel were influenced by ancient Rome. bin/vspec.cgi 5/12

6 Rugged Roman Architecture By Colleen Messina lime contribution moon shaped archaeologist aqueduct mortar public structures well minimum entrances location good rectangular best structure brickfield among Directions: Fill in each blank with the word that best completes the reading comprehension. Roman builders created some of the most rugged, incredible monuments in history. You might be surprised at how much modern architecture is possible because of the ancient Romans. The Romans copied many things from the creative Greeks, but they also came up with their own (1) ideas. If a Roman architect popped into a time machine and visited the twenty first century, he would recognize some of these ideas. He would feel proud of the Roman (2) to our world. If he stopped by a McDonald's to fortify himself with a burger, he might be happy to see those golden arches. He might smile and remember how much arches helped create some amazing Roman (3). Arches solved an enormous building problem. The Romans were the first ancient architects to use arches in many kinds of buildings. They used wooden scaffolding to support their arches as they were being built. An arch can support a lot of weight. With arches, Roman architects built walls over doors or windows. They built high, strong walls with a (4) amount of stone. Arches made the (5) water system possible, which gave Romans water in their homes and (6) buildings. The Romans also built a unique road system. Their spectacular roads covered thousands of miles. Soldiers could march along these roads quickly in order to keep an eye on the vast Roman Empire. Before these paved roads, the Romans had to travel along muddy ruts. Their chariot wheels got stuck! The paved roads could be used all year, and the Roman army could move their horses and equipment quickly to new places. The Romans liked straight roads, so they even tunneled through cliffs. However, the surfaces of the roads were curved so that rainwater could drain off into ditches. Besides designing an incredible road system, the Romans invented a fantastic new material called concrete. Concrete comes from simple ingredients. If you were a Roman builder, this is the recipe you would use to make your tough, magnificent concrete. First, you would make a (7) from (8) and water. Then, you would add volcanic sand and stone rubble. You would stir and stir with your big Roman muscles until it became moldable. It would look like a gooey blob of gray cookie dough with chunks in it, only the chunks would be pebbles instead of chocolate chips! When it dried, it bin/vspec.cgi 6/12

7 would become hard. It would never become soft again, even if it got wet. It was the perfect substance for all kinds of buildings. Concrete made Roman architects happy. Romans used concrete for the magnificent Coliseum, a structure that inspired today's sports stadiums. It could seat thousands of people. People entered the round (9) through 76 public (10). Doesn't that sound like a football game? The Romans watched gladiator fights and chariot races at the Coliseum. These events were exciting for Roman citizens. The chariot races were held at a huge circular track called the Circus. Before a race, priests and officials paraded around the circle in a great procession. Then, the horses raced around the track seven times. The turning points at the ends of the track were dangerous, and only the (11) drivers even survived. Often, they would crash. The Romans called this a "shipwreck." The drivers tried to protect themselves by wearing helmets on their heads. They also wore pads and leather bandages on their legs. They probably looked a little bit like modern football players! All of this excitement was possible because of concrete. The Romans perfected another building material. They made bricks out of baked clay. In 2005, Italian archaeologists discovered that two brothers made most of the bricks for Rome's greatest monuments. They discovered two furnaces in the tiny village of Mugnano, which is about 50 miles north of Rome. The two brothers were Tullus and Lucanus Domitii. Archaeologist Tiziano Gasperoni believes that the Domitii furnaces provided bricks for spectacular buildings such as the Coliseum and the Pantheon. How did the (12) figure this out? Each Roman bricklayer had a special mark on his bricks. Some had circular marks. Others had (13) or (14) marks. The mark contained the name of the brick maker and the (15) of the (16). The lucky brothers at Mugnano had the ideal spot for a furnace because that area had excellent clay, as well as water and wood. No wonder they made so many bricks. The Romans were (17) the greatest builders in history. The rugged, beautiful Coliseum still inspires awe. Concrete and arches make our cities possible. The phrase "do as the Romans do" could (18) apply to many aspects of modern architecture. Copyright 2016 edhelper bin/vspec.cgi 7/12

8 Name Date (Key 1 Answer ID # ) Make words by connecting the syllables. sup i lar pub cu nic struc rain lic ble for ue tion mor ca mum cir rub port my ar chi tect char wa ot lo tar ar ca fy vol ture min ti duct aq ter bin/vspec.cgi 8/12

9 1 Arches 2 Their water system 3 Aqueducts 4 Chariot races 5 A shipwreck 6 False 7 Concrete 8 Baked clay Rugged Roman Architecture Answer Key bin/vspec.cgi 9/12

10 Rugged Roman Architecture By Colleen Messina Answer Key Roman builders created some of the most rugged, incredible monuments in history. You might be surprised at how much modern architecture is possible because of the ancient Romans. The Romans copied many things from the creative Greeks, but they also came up with their own (1) good ideas. If a Roman architect popped into a time machine and visited the twenty first century, he would recognize some of these ideas. He would feel proud of the Roman (2) contribution to our world. If he stopped by a McDonald's to fortify himself with a burger, he might be happy to see those golden arches. He might smile and remember how much arches helped create some amazing Roman (3) structures. Arches solved an enormous building problem. The Romans were the first ancient architects to use arches in many kinds of buildings. They used wooden scaffolding to support their arches as they were being built. An arch can support a lot of weight. With arches, Roman architects built walls over doors or windows. They built high, strong walls with a (4) minimum amount of stone. Arches made the (5) aqueduct water system possible, which gave Romans water in their homes and (6) public buildings. The Romans also built a unique road system. Their spectacular roads covered thousands of miles. Soldiers could march along these roads quickly in order to keep an eye on the vast Roman Empire. Before these paved roads, the Romans had to travel along muddy ruts. Their chariot wheels got stuck! The paved roads could be used all year, and the Roman army could move their horses and equipment quickly to new places. The Romans liked straight roads, so they even tunneled through cliffs. However, the surfaces of the roads were curved so that rainwater could drain off into ditches. Besides designing an incredible road system, the Romans invented a fantastic new material called concrete. Concrete comes from simple ingredients. If you were a Roman builder, this is the recipe you would use to make your tough, magnificent concrete. First, you would make a (7) mortar from (8) lime and water. Then, you would add volcanic sand and stone rubble. You would stir and stir with your big Roman muscles until it became moldable. It would look like a gooey blob of gray cookie dough with chunks in it, only the chunks would be pebbles instead of chocolate chips! When it dried, it would become hard. It would never become soft again, even if it got wet. It was the perfect substance for all kinds of buildings. Concrete made Roman architects happy. Romans used concrete for the magnificent Coliseum, a structure that inspired today's sports stadiums. It could seat thousands of people. People entered the round (9) structure through 76 public (10) entrances. Doesn't that sound like a football game? The Romans watched gladiator fights and chariot races at the Coliseum. These events were exciting for Roman citizens. The chariot races were held at a huge circular track called the Circus. Before a race, priests and officials paraded around the circle in a great procession. Then, the horses raced around the track seven times. The turning points at the ends of the track were dangerous, and only the (11) best drivers even survived. Often, they would crash. The Romans called this a "shipwreck." The drivers tried to protect themselves by wearing helmets on their heads. They also wore pads and leather bandages on their legs. They probably looked a little bit like modern football players! All of this excitement was possible because of concrete. The Romans perfected another building material. They made bricks out of baked clay. In 2005, Italian archaeologists discovered that two brothers made most of the bricks for Rome's greatest monuments. They discovered two furnaces in the tiny village of Mugnano, which is about 50 miles north of Rome. The two brothers were Tullus and Lucanus Domitii. Archaeologist Tiziano Gasperoni believes that the Domitii furnaces provided bricks for spectacular buildings such as the Coliseum and the Pantheon. How did the (12) archaeologist figure this out? Each Roman bricklayer had a special mark on his bricks. Some had circular marks. Others had (13) rectangular or (14) moon shaped marks. The mark contained the name of the brick maker and the (15) location of the (16) brickfield. The lucky brothers at Mugnano had the ideal spot for a furnace because that area had excellent clay, as well as water and wood. No wonder they made so many bricks. The Romans were (17) among the greatest builders in history. The rugged, beautiful Coliseum still inspires awe. Concrete and arches make our cities possible. The phrase "do as the Romans do" could (18) well apply bin/vspec.cgi 10/12

11 awe. Concrete and arches make our cities possible. The phrase "do as the Romans do" could (18) well apply to many aspects of modern architecture. bin/vspec.cgi 11/12

12 Answer Key sup i lar cir cu lar pub cu nic vol ca nic struc lic pub lic rain ble rub ble for ue tion lo ca tion mor ca mum min i mum cir port sup port rub my ar my ar chi tect ar chi tect char wa ot char i ot lo tar mor tar ar ca fy for ti fy vol ture struc ture min ti duct aq ue duct aq ter rain wa ter bin/vspec.cgi 12/12

The Origins of Rome. Objective: The Geography and The Legend How did the Etruscans and Greeks influence the development of Rome?

The Origins of Rome. Objective: The Geography and The Legend How did the Etruscans and Greeks influence the development of Rome? The Origins of Rome Objective: The Geography and The Legend How did the Etruscans and Greeks influence the development of Rome? I will look at different perspectives of the history and how Rome was formed.