Researched
Roman Arch, Vault & Dome
Arches, vaults and domes of brick and concrete span large spaces; the Pantheon dome (about 126 AD) stayed the largest of its kind for 1,300 years.
Open in the interactive tree →Roman builders used arches and concrete to roof spaces no beam could cross: bridges, aqueducts, baths and the Pantheon. The arch principle of turning load into compression carries through to later bridges.
Prerequisites
- Fired Brick~3000 BC
- Geometry (Euclid)~300 BC
- Mortar & Roman Concrete~200 BC
Unlocks
- Iron Bridge1779
Sources
More in Manufacturing & Construction · Antiquity
- Fired Brick~3000 BC
- Aqueducts & Public Water~312 BC
- Mortar & Roman Concrete~200 BC
- Glassmaking & Glassblowing~50 BC