Ancient Engineering
Ashley Shehan
World Civilizations 1: History103
Samson Tsahiridis
October 15, 2012

Ancient Engineering Ancient civilizations are credited for many inventions and engineer advancements that have been perfected and still used today. These advances have laid a foundation for today’s way of life; convenient, efficient, and technology improving faster than ever. Introduction of roads, domestication of animals, and the use of ships are all examples of engineering used to increase power, efficiency, and the quality of life. With the use of roads, ships, and calendars, civilizations were able to improve their economy, increase their power, increase population, and expand their power.
Roads
Romans The Roman Empire’s success was greatly due to the extensive paved road system built, connecting virtually the entire empire. The Appian Way was built in 312BCE, one of the earliest Roman road built. The network or road would eventually consist of over 55,000 miles of road, with a width of 20-40 feet, depending on the amount of traffic and use of the road. Built mostly by soldiers, the use of these roads greatly empowered the Roman Army. Unaffected by weather, quicker deployments, and faster distribution of communication, supplies, and food were possible, increasing efficiency. Post houses to tend or change horses were located every ten to fifteen miles along the routes, while Inns to accommodate travelers, and were located every twenty to thirty miles, increasing the distance traveled daily. The rising effectiveness of the roads decreased the amount of man power, time and money needed by the army. The roads also empowered the army to successfully expand beyond its borders, defeating opposing forces. Without their route network the Roman Empire would not have lasted as it did, for the mere knowledge that legions could be on the scene