The Roman Art of Engineering: Traditions of Planning, Construction, and Innovation

Catalog description

Interdisciplinary study of ancient Roman engineering and architecture in a course co-created between Arts ＆ Sciences and Engineering. Construction principles, techniques, and materials: walls, columns, arches, vaults, domes. Iconic Roman buildings (Colosseum, Pantheon, Trajan’s Column) and infrastructure (roads, bridges, aqueducts, baths, harbors, city walls). Project organization. Roman engineering and society: machines and human labor; engineers, architects, and the army; environmental impact. Comparisons with current practice as well as cross-cultural comparisons with other pre-modern societies across the globe. A Columbia Cross-Disciplinary Course