Important Inventions Essay Example for Free

Important Inventions Essay You have probably heard the saying All roads lead to Rome, many times from numerous people. Of course, not all roads lead to Rome; but back in the time of ancient civilizations, most roads in eastern Europe did. Of all ancient people, the Romans were the finest road builders. At the beginning of the 4th century B. C., they built smooth, hard surfaced, and durable roads wherever they ruled. That empire extended from England to North Africa; many of the roads in England are still in use today! Since you may not realize the important role that these early roads played, I am going to give you an idea of how they were built, used, and what exciting discoveries were made as the result of these ancient road builders. You will even get to see how these discoveries were used in the construction of their roads. Most of us take the roads we use today for granted, we never think about how some of the inventions like concrete, early arch bridges, and cement were discovered. Without some of those inventions, it would have been much more difficult for the Romans to rule their vast empire. Well built roads were necessary to control and extend their empire, permit trade and travel, and move their massive armies. They were the most impressive road builders of the ancient world. Over 50,000 roads, many well paved, stretched all over the Roman Empire. Settled in 800 B. C., Rome and its citizens communicated efficiently on land using a famous road system that linked all parts of the empire. Even though the army built most roads, all people traveled on them. Official messengers and troops moved rapidly over swamps, rivers, and mountains because of good bridges, paved causeways, and tunnels. Cutting through mountains and spanning streams, roads were built in straight lines whenever possible. The Romans knew how to lay a solid base and to give a road a pavement of flat stones. They also knew to make a road slope slightly from the center and toward both sides to drain off water.