✔ Learn what an engineer does.
✔ Discover Rome's building secrets: the arch and concrete.
✔ Preview roads, aqueducts, and the Colosseum.
The Romans were some of the greatest builders the world has ever seen. People who plan and build things like roads and bridges are called engineers, and Roman engineers had two secret weapons.
Secret one: the arch. An arch is a curved shape over an opening. It is super strong because it pushes weight down and out to the sides. With arches, Romans built huge bridges, gates, and stadiums that are STILL standing today, 2,000 years later!
Secret two: concrete. The Romans mixed volcanic ash, lime, and water to make a stone-hard building material. Some Roman concrete even hardened underwater! This week we'll explore their amazing roads, their water bridges called aqueducts, and the giant Colosseum.
1. What does an engineer do?
2. Why is an arch such a strong shape?
3. What did Romans mix together to make concrete?
Write what each word means in your own words.
Write T for true or F for false in each circle.
You need: a sheet of paper and some small toys or blocks.
First lay the paper flat between two books like a bridge — pile toys on top. It sags! Now curve the paper into an arch between the books and try again. The arch holds more! That's Roman engineering.
Draw a strong Roman bridge with three arches crossing a river.
| I learned... | Circle one |
|---|---|
| What an arch is and why it's strong | YES / NOT YET |
| Rome's two building secrets | YES / NOT YET |