AR105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Reverse Engineering, Olive Oil, Appian Way
21 Apr 2015
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Document Summary
Engineering achievements depended on the storage and exchange of information from generation to generation. Aqueducts and colloseum could not have been built without the transfer of information. Exchange of expertise and ideas happened inevitably through intercultural contact and through travelling traders and craftspeople. Roman roads were originally meant for soldiers to march on foot with a simple gravel surface. Most goods were transported by ship because road transportation was slow and more expensive. First major roman road was the via appia or appian way. Capua (196 km) to expodite the deployment of legionaries to central italy. Roads had rest stops and designations telling you how far until your destination. Earliest bridges (temporary/collapsable bridges) were made of wood, though new stone bridges were so durable they remained in operation for multiple centuries. Sea transport was less expensive than ground transport in antiquity. They navigated by prominent landmarks, staying within sight of land which was beneficial for multiple reasons:
