page_title: Technological history of the Roman military
section_title: New materials
hierarchical_section_title: Technological history of the Roman military / Origins and development / New materials
caption_attribution_description: English: Pont du Gard, in Vers-Pont-du-Gard, Gard department, South France. The Pont du Gard is the most famous part of the roman aqueduct which carried water from Uzès to Nîmes until roughly the 9th century when maintenance was abandoned. The monument is 49m high and now 275m long (it was 360m when intact) at its top. It's the highest roman aqueduct, but also one of the best preserved (with the aqueduct of Segovia). The Pont du Gard is a UNESCO world heritage site since 1985. Français&#160;: Le Pont du Gard, à Vers-Pont-du-Gard, département du Gard, région Languedoc-Roussillon, France. Le Pont du Gard (1er siècle C.E.) est la partie la plus célèbre de l'aqueduc romain qui conduisait l'eau d'Uzès à Nîmes, jusqu'au 9ème siècle où l'on cessa de l'entretenir. Le monument fait 49 mètres de haut et aujourd'hui 275 mètres de long (360 mètres quand il était intact). C'est l'aqueduc roman le plus haut, mais aussi, avec celui de Ségovie, l'un des mieux préservés. Le Pont du Gard est un site du patrimoine mondial de l'humanité de l'UNESCO depuis 1985. Español: El Pont du Gard (puente del Gard), en Vers-Pont-du-Gard, departamento de Gard, en la región de Languedoc-Rosellón, sur de Francia, es la parte más conocida del acueducto romano que conducía el agua desde Uzès a Nîmes hasta el siglo&#160;IX, cuando cesó su actividad. El puente mide 49&#160;metros de alto y 275&#160;metros de largo (360&#160;m cuando se encontraba intacto en la antigüedad). Es el acueducto romano más alto y también, junto al de Segovia, en España, uno de los mejor conservados. El Pont du Gard fue declarado Patrimonio Mundial de la Humanidad por la UNESCO en 1985.
context_page_description: The technology history of the Roman military covers the development of and application of technologies for use in the armies and navies of Rome from the Roman Republic to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The rise of Hellenism and the Roman Republic are generally seen as signalling the end of the Iron Age in the Mediterranean. Roman iron-working was enhanced by a process known as carburization. The Romans used the better properties in their armaments, and the 1,300 years of Roman military technology saw radical changes. The Roman armies of the early empire were much better equipped than early republican armies. Metals used for arms and armor primarily included iron, bronze, and brass. For construction, the army used wood, earth, and stone. The later use of concrete in architecture was widely mirrored in Roman military technology, especially in the application of a military workforce to civilian construction projects.
context_section_description: However, the Romans made many significant technological advances, such as the invention of hydraulic cement and concrete. They used such new materials to great advantage in their structures, many of which survive to this day, like their masonry aqueducts, such as the Pont du Gard, and buildings, such as the Pantheon and Baths of Diocletian in Rome. Their methods were recorded by such luminaries as Vitruvius and Frontinus for example, who wrote handbooks to advise fellow engineers and architects. Romans knew enough history to be aware that widespread technological change had occurred in the past and brought benefits, as shown for example by Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia. That tradition continued as the empire grew in size and absorbed new ideas. Romans thought of themselves as practical, so small-scale innovation was common (such as the development of the ballista into the polybolos or repeating ballista). The traditional view is that their reliance on a plentiful slave labour force and a lack of a patent or copyright system have both been cited as reasons that there was little social or financial pressure to automate or reduce manual tasks. However, this view is being challenged by new research that shows they did indeed innovate, and on a wide scale. Thus the watermill had been known to the Greeks, but it was the Romans who developed their efficient utilisation. The set of mills at Barbegal in southern France were worked by a single aqueduct, which drove no fewer than 16 overshot mills built into the side of a hill. They probably were built by the army and supplied flour to a wide region. Floating mills were also used to exploit fast flowing rivers.
caption: Pont du Gard
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