Roman Technology Stations
Roman Toilets and Baths 1. If we walked into a Roman toilet today, we would probably feel uncomfortable with the lack of privacy. 2. There were big public toilets that had room for lots of people at the same time. They were not meant to be comfortable and there was no flushing mechanism.
Facts about Roman Baths 3. By 500 AD there were almost 900 baths in Rome 4. Typical bath served as community center, fitness center, restaurant and performance center 5. There is little evidence that men and women had separate bathrooms. 6. Before stepping into a series of baths, visitors exercised in open courtyards. 7. The apodyterium was a changing room with shelves to tuck away clothing and other belongings (like a locker room today)
Public Health 8. Romans were first civilization to have public health system. True 9. It was easy to find a natural source of water in Rome. False 10. The Romans needed to find a way to dispose of rubbish. True 11. Aqueducts were used to transport water. True 12. In 100 AD, there were 15 aqueducts. False 13. The public baths were very popular. True 14. People held meetings in the public baths. True 15. There were no public toilet facilities in Rome. False 16. Sewers were built to take rubbish out of the city. True 17. The Tiber River took the rubbish to the sea. True
Public Health (continued) 18. Describe one thing Romans did to fix their public health problems: Romans looked at cause and effect situations for why people got sick in the first place (they practiced preventative measures). They provided clean water through aqueducts and removed sewage.
Plumbing 19. What does the construction of sewers like Cloaca Maxima, toilets and aqueducts tell us about Roman ideas about sanitation? The Romans wanted to become more sanitary and clean. They took pride in being clean and disease free. 20. What job do you think was in demand in a wealthy location like Pompeii? Why? A plumber had an important job because the people in Rome depended on having running water. 21. A Roman bath is equivalent to a modern day country club, spa, gym, or swimming pool.
Plumbing (continued) Things that a person could do at a public bath were: 22. Meet friends/socialize 23. Go to gym to workout/have a good meal 24. Play games/be entertained
Roman Roads What are 2 reasons why the Roman roads were built straight? 25. So the army could take the shortest route (winding roads take longer to get to where you are going) 26. On winding roads, bandits/robbers can be hiding around bends
Roman Roads (continued)
32. What would be one advantage of our roads today being built like Roman roads? They were built so that rain would drain away and not make roads muddy. 33. What would be one disadvantage of our building roads like the Romans? It would be time consuming to make roads with the amount of rocks needed (to build all of the layers).
Roman Technology What does the expression “All roads lead to Rome” mean? 34. Rome was the center of the ancient civilized world. Name 2 advantages the roads provided for the Romans: 35. Roads made it easier to travel and move troops 36. Roads made it easier to collect taxes and trade with faraway provinces. 37. What type of natural disaster destroyed part of the structure of the Colosseum? Earthquakes
Roman Technology (continued) List 4 things that Romans invented or improved upon in regards to technology: 38. sewers 39. roads 40. bridges 41. Colosseum (for entertainment) What was considered the greatest Roman engineering achievement? 42. Sewer system 43. Because Rome was set in a valley (among 7 hills) and there is nowhere for the dirty water to go; but sewers solved this problem.
Aqueducts 44. What was the purpose of aqueducts? To bring water from the countryside to city List the parts of a Roman aqueduct and explain purpose of each part. QuestionPartPurpose 45trenchTo move water that follows contours of the land 46tunnelTo bring water through a mountain 47pressurized pipeTo force water up the other side (after traveling down a valley) 48wallTo cross shallow depression 49arcadeTo move water