These aboveground arches were, in fact, only a small section of an aqueduct system. Roman engineers would create a gentle downward slope all the way from start to finish, since the only force ...

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 ...