And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Part of the ancient Roman road to Gaul near the Italian town of Donnas in Aosta Valley has been carved into the rock, bearing a testament to the Roman engineering capabilities. It was constructed during the time of Augustus.
Maybe it was to make a spot to get out of the rain or sun? Maybe it was to form a defendable spot during a retreat. Maybe it was just showing off. Maybe it was to limit the size of the carts.
Lot of these where built by Roman soldiers, they called "Casturenasim", (if i spelled it correctly, it was actually one of the first things every Soldier was taught, and every evening when on march they built a fort to defend themselves. Built bridges over rivers and swamps, lot of times they pulked up and carried the timbers and lumber with them for the next use. On top of a bone crushing pack. Took a minimum of 1quart of grain plus some kind of meat for every soldier, cheese and sausage too, and you carried that also if you where humping it towards some place fast. Those guys where some tough bastards.
If you been to England, there are aqueducts still in use to this day they built, the baths up in Bath are incredible, been to those, stood on the oldest free standing bridge in Europe, arch stone bridge, its still in perfect condition, wide two lane, and they even drive trucks over it.
And the United States (and most of the rest of the world) makes roads that last a few years and become so full of crack, potholes and other imperfections that they are almost impossible to drive on.
When you've established the Pax Romana, the legions have free time on their hands. Gotta keep the troops busy! Still, admirable engineering and construction.
Such straight even lines. Only power tools they had where driven by elbow grease, horse or water power.
ReplyDeleteThey removed so much material. They only left the arches to show off.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it was to make a spot to get out of the rain or sun? Maybe it was to form a defendable spot during a retreat. Maybe it was just showing off. Maybe it was to limit the size of the carts.
DeleteThe engineer said "tunnel there" and the slaves did it.
DeleteLot of these where built by Roman soldiers, they called "Casturenasim", (if i spelled it correctly, it was actually one of the first things every Soldier was taught, and every evening when on march they built a fort to defend themselves. Built bridges over rivers and swamps, lot of times they pulked up and carried the timbers and lumber with them for the next use. On top of a bone crushing pack. Took a minimum of 1quart of grain plus some kind of meat for every soldier, cheese and sausage too, and you carried that also if you where humping it towards some place fast. Those guys where some tough bastards.
DeleteI've driven on parts of Interstate 40 that weren't as good as that.
ReplyDeleteand it's pothole free!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that roads were a big part of the Roman power. For that matter are roads helped the USA become a power!
ReplyDeleteStill standing, what did they understand about construction that got lost along the way to the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteThat if you do things right the first time, thousands of foremen and two or three workers will be laid off the repair crews.
DeleteThier secret was a simple one. NO LOW BID CONTRACTS!
ReplyDeleteIf you been to England, there are aqueducts still in use to this day they built, the baths up in Bath are incredible, been to those, stood on the oldest free standing bridge in Europe, arch stone bridge, its still in perfect condition, wide two lane, and they even drive trucks over it.
ReplyDeleteAnd the United States (and most of the rest of the world) makes roads that last a few years and become so full of crack, potholes and other imperfections that they are almost impossible to drive on.
ReplyDeleteOut here the trucks can weigh 80,000 pounds and there are a lot of trucks. That's hard on the roads...
DeleteJob security. Government is notorious for that.
DeleteWhen you've established the Pax Romana, the legions have free time on their hands. Gotta keep the troops busy!
ReplyDeleteStill, admirable engineering and construction.
Roadrunner fake entrance
ReplyDelete