ARC 103 - ANCIENT ROMAN TECHNOLOGY

This is an introductory on-site class on ancient technology. The course will alternate classroom sessions with on-site visits. Students will be introduced to the principles of construction and water technology and will visit examples in and around Rome. After a general introduction to ancient technology, monuments related to water will be visited and discussed; these include aqueducts and sewers, bath buildings and fountains, ports and ships. Technology serving the navy and the army will follow: weapons and armor, walls and streets. Construction techniques lead to the architectural remains: quarries, stone and brick work, opus caementicium. Ceramics and metal production can be studied in several museums by means of pottery and bronze artifacts. Theatres and amphitheaters had special technical installations for entertainment, and also during antiquity mechanical art (automata) was much appreciated. The course will also analyze the impact of Roman technology on the economy and social systems.