Flying buttresses act the same way ancient Roman columns did, countering the horizontal force of the arch. They also provide for more ground area underneath: more worshippers could fit into a church ...

Arcades, of course, are the bridges built with a series of arches, and one of the grandest monuments of the Empire. When the aqueduct must flow higher than about five feet, Roman engineers should ...

The Fabricius bridge is 62 metres long and 5.5 metres wide, with two main arches made of stone, travertine (a limestone rock) and tuff, a material widely used in Roman construction. What sets it ...