The True Arch: While the Greeks use arches, they did not use it for their structures, except for drainage systems and tunnels. The Romans, however, learned about the corbeled arch from the Etruscans, which was formed by stones laid on top of each other with each level of stones moving slightly inward. Although useful, the corbeled arch was unable to build the imposing structures …show more content…
Contrary to common belief, Romans did not invent the original mix of concrete, as it has been found to have existed in ancient Greece in an ineffective form. The Romans, however, perfected their own recipe, which was made with lime combined with water, and a fine volcanic ash, called pozzolana. Additionally, the Romans would mix their concrete with small stones to add strength, and called this combination opus caementicium (Muscato, n.d.). Using concrete, the Romans quite literally paved their way across the known world, building concrete roads across over 55,000 miles of Europe, Africa, and Asia. "Roadways were the lifeblood of Ancient Rome" (Andrews, 2014). Indeed, as mentioned earlier, their flat, straight roads allowed Romans to move goods, soldiers, and information swiftly across the Empire. It is likely that without their astonishing roadways, Rome could not have maintained its grip on so much territory for so long. "A subway-style diagram of the major Roman roads, based on the Empire of ca. 125 AD" (Trubetskoy,