How Did The Romans Build Aqueducts

1079 Words5 Pages

The Romans were well-known for their engineering skills, having constructed engineering marvels standing till date. Their engineering skills were revolutionary and despite their achievements, the Romans have been accused of failing aesthetically. I believe to term Roman architecture as failure aesthetically is extreme, because of the aqueducts, the amphitheatre and the Roman temples were exemplary examples to justify their case. The Romans started building aqueducts because it was a necessity used to carry water supply from sources into the cities. According to Anderson (2012), the primary purpose of the aqueducts was to transport water from valleys into town, but they were still a “civic pride in the Roman world” and not neglected aesthetically. He added that “the bridges and viaducts that were needed to carry water supplies across valleys were thought of as necessities to be regretted, not architectural glories to be admired and …show more content…

From the protruding stone steps along the piers of the Pont du Gard, it is evident the Romans sacrificed the outlook for future repair consideration needs. This means that their concern would be the strength and durability of the structure. The Pont du Gard was built in immaculate fashion under keen eyes with intricate measurements along the terrain as shown in the piers, with marks of the Romans brilliance and organization skills being found on the soft yellow limestone bricks with a numbering system. Thus, the Romans were driven towards the aqueducts accomplishing its function and serving its primary purpose, than the aesthetics. Regardless, the Pont du Gard is a magnificent structure albeit certain beauty aspects neglected, but to claim the Romans failing aesthetically would be undertaking an extremist standpoint because the Romans did work on the aesthetics, but they did not prioritise