Flying buttresses act the same way ancient Roman columns did, countering the horizontal force of the arch. They also provide for more ground area underneath: more worshippers could fit into a church ...

Arcades, of course, are the bridges built with a series of arches, and one of the grandest monuments of the Empire. When the aqueduct must flow higher than about five feet, Roman engineers should ...

This arch commemorates Constantine I’s 312 victory over the emperor Maxentius. That same year, Constantine devoted himself to Christianity—the first Roman ruler to do so. The fierce storm also ...