Ancient Rome · Guided tour

Roman engineering

Water, roads and building methods.

Stops: 8
Time: 20 to 30 minutes
Grades: 4-10

**Your guide: Stone carrier** Builder at workI carry stone for a living, so I know how hard building is. Walk with me and see how Roman engineers moved water, stone and people with simple machines and clever materials.

Stop 1
Building materials
Start with the materials. Romans built with stone, brick, timber and concrete made with volcanic ash. Their concrete could even set underwater.
Why might volcanic ash make concrete stronger?
Read the full page about the building materials · Find it on the map
Stop 2
Treadwheel crane
Heavy blocks were lifted by cranes powered by people walking inside a giant wheel. Pulleys multiplied their strength.
How does a pulley make lifting easier?
Read the full page about the treadwheel crane · Find it on the map
Stop 3
Aqueduct
Aqueducts carried water for kilometers, sloping down so gently you could hardly see it. Most of the channel ran underground.
What would happen if the slope were too steep, or too flat?
Read the full page about the aqueduct · Find it on the map
Stop 4
Public fountain
Most people did not have water at home. They filled jars at street fountains, which ran day and night.
Where does your water come from, and where does it go after you use it?
Read the full page about the public fountain · Find it on the map
Stop 5
Public baths
The baths used water and fire together: furnaces heated air that flowed under the floors and through the walls.
Why would a city build huge public baths for everyone?
Read the full page about the public baths · Find it on the map
Stop 6
The Pantheon
Look up: the Pantheon's dome is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, nearly 1,900 years later. The concrete gets lighter toward the top.
Why would builders use lighter material at the top of a dome?
Read the full page about the pantheon · Find it on the map
Stop 7
Amphitheater
Arches carried the weight of tens of thousands of spectators, and numbered entrances let crowds in and out quickly.
How do stadiums today move big crowds safely?
Read the full page about the amphitheater · Find it on the map
Stop 8
Ox cart
Roads tied it all together. Layers of stone and gravel, a curved surface for rain, and milestones to measure the way.
Which Roman idea do we still use in roads today?
Read the full page about the ox cart · Find it on the map

Think it over

Which Roman invention do you think mattered most? Why?
Much of this work was done by enslaved people. How should we remember them when we admire these buildings?
Which Roman building would you most like to see standing today?

For a full lesson, see Build a model Roman aqueduct: a hands-on STEM activity.

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