Aisling McDonagh
Mrs. Webster
Latin II
February 19th, 2014

Roman Engineering

1. How do we know anything about the Haterii family? Give two facts we can deduce from that evidence.
The various carvings on the family tomb of the Haterii, especially the crane, suggest that at least one member of the family was a prosperous building contractor. One of his contracts was for a magnificent arch to commemorate the popular Emperor Titus who died after a short reign (a.d. 79-81).

2. What was the social status of the unskilled laborers?
Most of unskilled laborers were slaves and poor free men.

3. List at least four hand tools that we have inherited almost unchanged from the Romans. Why was the use of hand tools so laborious in Roman times?
Mallets, chisels, crowbars, trowels, saws, and planes are some modern hand tools that have been inherited almost unchanged from the Romans. The important difference is that the Romans did not have the small electric motor that makes the modern power tools less laborious to use.

4. What was the cement mortar used for?
The cement mortar was used, as today, for a thin but effective adhesive layer between bricks or stones.

5. Name two main structural uses of concrete.
Concrete became a substitute for stone in the building of arches and vaulted ceilings. They also used it on the aqueducts that supplied Rome with millions of gallons of fresh water daily.

6. Describe another use of concrete and described four ways the concrete was hidden.
Concrete could also be sandwiched as a core between two faces of a more expensive material, such as good quality stone or brick; these were often then covered with plaster or stucco and painted in bright colors. It could also be used as a facing material.

7. What two things did Augustus do to minimize the risk?
Augustus fixed a limit of 70 feet (21 metres) in height for these insulae. He also organized fire brigades for their protection. 8. Name at least five buildings either restored by Domitian after the fire in a.d. 80 or erected as part of his building program.
Domitian completed the restoration of the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill and the construction of the Flavian Amphitheater. He built more temples, a stadium, a concert hall, Titus’s Arch, and a palace on the Palatine.

9. What contrast in use and construction materials was evident in the buildings in Rome?
The spaces between the marble-faced public libraries, baths, and temples were crammed with the homes of ordinary people.

The Roman Forum

1. Give four respects in which the Forum Rōmānum was the center of Rome.
The commercial, cultural, social, and political heart of the city was the Forum Rōmānum.

2. Name at least four other fora eventually built in this area of Rome. Which was the most splendid?
Two fora had been built by Julius Caesar and Augustus. A third in the line of imperial fora was built by Vespasian; it contained the great Temple of Peace. Two more fora were added: one by Domitian, completed by Nerva, and one by Trajan. The most splendid of the new fora was Trajan’s forum.

3. What was a basilica? What two activities went on there?
In the basilicas, lawyers pleaded their cases in front of large and often noisy audiences, and merchants and bankers negotiated their business deals.

4. What two types of procession went through the Forum?
Sometimes a funeral procession wound its way through the forum; sometimes the crowd was forced to make way for a wealthy noble, who was carried through the forum in a sedan-chair by his slaves and escorted by a long line of citizens.

5. What was the main building on the Capitoline? Why was it so special? What two activities took place there?
On the Capitoline at the western end of the forum stood the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, the center of Roman state religion. Here, the emperor came to pray for the continued safety of the Roman people, and here the consuls took their solemn vows on January 1st each year at the beginning of their consulship.

6. What was the rostra? Where was it located? From what did it get its name?
Near the foot of the Capitoline stood the rostra was a platform from which public speeches were made to the people. It took its name from the rostra (ships’ prows, which had been captured in a sea battle early in Rome’s history) which were used to decorate it.

7. What were the distinguishing features of the Temple of Vesta? What was the important duty of Vestal Virgins?
The Temple of Vesta was a small round building with a cone-shaped roof. The Vestal Virgins tended the undying sacred flame, which symbolized the endurance of Rome.

8. What monument was erected at the eastern end of the Via Sacra? Who commissioned it? What event did it commemorate?
The Arch of Titus was commissioned by the Emperor Domitian in a.d. 81. This arch, on the rise of a gentle slope at the eastern end of the Via Sacra, commemorated the victory of Titus, Domitian’s brother, over the Jewish people.