The world's greatest structures were all built through some combination of human ingenuity, perseverance, vision, will power and, in many cases, physical might. History's Great Structures examines the practical, technological, and political challenges encountered by the designers and The Romans were the greatest builders of the ancient world, and among their most impressive achievements were their vast systems of roads and aqueducts. The roads, which featured inns and other amenities at intervals, carried soldiers, messengers, traders, and religious pilgrims far and wide. Meanwhile, the aqueducts brought life-giving water to cities and towns, making Rome¿s mighty urban civilization possible.

"How did Roman waterworks work? How were the aqueducts planned and built? What happened to the water before it got into the aqueduct conduit and after it left it, in catchment, urban distribution and drainage? What were the hydraulics and engineering involved? And what was hydraulic technology like throughout the provinces, far from the often-studied system of metropolitan Rome? In a comprehensive study that ranges through the Roman aqueducts of France, Germany, Spain, North Africa, Turkey and Israel, Professor Hodge introduces us to these often neglected aspects of what the Romans themselves would certainly boast of as one of the greatest glories of their civilisation. Although often technically oriented, the book is aimed at non-engineers (there is a chapter on basic hydraulics, and an appendix on the use of formulae), and historians of society and the economy are not overlooked. Above all, the book looks on aqueducts as functioning machines rather than as static archaeological monuments." -- Provided by publisher

Describes the construction of roads and aqueducts in ancient Rome, life and customs along the roads, water distribution and aqueduct maintenance, and the building of bridges.

This book presents the legislation that formed the basis of Roman law - The Laws of the Twelve Tables. These laws, formally promulgated in 449 BC, consolidated earlier traditions and established enduring rights and duties of Roman citizens. The Tables were created in response to agitation by the plebeian class, who had previously been excluded from the higher benefits of the Republic. Despite previously being unwritten and exclusively interpreted by upper-class priests, the Tables became highly regarded and formed the basis of Roman law for a thousand years. This comprehensive sequence of definitions of private rights and procedures, although highly specific and diverse, provided a foundation for the enduring legal system of the Roman Empire.

The Romans developed sophisticated methods for managing hygiene, including aqueducts for moving water from one place to another, sewers for removing used water from baths and runoff from walkways and roads, and public and private latrines. Through the archeological record, graffiti, sanitation-related paintings, and literature, Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow explores this little-known world of bathrooms and sewers, offering unique insights into Roman sanitation, engineering, urban planning and development, hygiene, and public health. Focusing on the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Ostia, and Rome, Koloski-Ostrow's work challenges common perceptions of Romans' social customs, beliefs about health, tolerance for filth in their cities, and attitudes toward privacy. In charting the complex history of sanitary customs from the late republic to the early empire, Koloski-Ostrow reveals the origins of waste removal technologies and their implications for urban health, past and present.

Table of contents

Describes the people, places, and events of Ancient Rome, describing travel, trade, language, religion, economy, industry and more, from the days of the Republic through the High Empire period and beyond.