Ancient Roman Ruins in England and France

The northern frontier of the ancient Roman Empire, near the border of Scotland, was manned by troops who lived and worked in forts (Vindolanda is one of the earliest). But it’s not just the remains of the buildings that is of interest at Vindolanda.

We are standing in the ruins of the fort, looking at the commander's residence (what the Romans called the praetorium). The rooms were laid out around a central courtyard and were significantly nicer than the barracks where the soldiers lived.

The ancient Romans were brilliant engineers. Here we can see rows of stone pillars that were part of an underfloor heating system, known as a hypocaust, that was used to heat houses with hot air.

These are the remains of the headquarters of the fort. There was an open courtyard, offices, a treasury, a shrine for safe keeping of the standard (the flag or emblem of the regiment), and perhaps storage rooms for arms.

The city of Orange (Arausio for the Romans) in Southeast France was the site of a major battle the Romans lost in 105 B.C.E.

However, Orange was eventually settled by veterans of the Second Roman Legion in the late first century B.C.E. The arch, which likely dates to the reign of Augustus a short time later, commemorates the battle a century earlier. It was built on the via Agrippa, a Roman road leading north to Lyon.

The triple arch design with a large central portal can be seen in later arches in Rome itself (see for example, the arches of Septimius Severus and Constantine) and is one of the earliest examples of this type of arch to survive.

The surface of the arch is covered with relief carving. Although much has been lost, the main theme is clear—violent warfare. At the top, a pitched battle is shown between infantry and cavalry with the wounded and dead littering the field.

To the right you can just make out a sea battle with a trident (a three-pronged spear) and the prows of ancient Roman ships. Elsewhere on the arch, carvings show Roman’s victorious with their enemy held captive.

Engaged (or attached) columns on either side of the central arch support a pediment (triangular gable), making the whole thing look like an ancient temple front. Columns at the edges define a temple fronts on the sides of the arch.

The ancient Romans were brilliant engineers as is demonstrated by the extensive aqueduct systems they built to bring large volumes of fresh water to their cities. This is a small section of the longest known Roman aqueduct.

It carried water 50 miles to Lyon (or Lugdunum for the Romans). Aqueduct are very gently sloped so that gravity draws water to the city. It is interesting to note that for much of this aqueduct’s course, water flows through underground tunnels.

It is essential that water traveling through an aqueduct maintain its elevation. Here we see arches used to carry water at a regular height. When necessary, arches could be stacked up to a maximum height of about 150 feet to cross a valley.

The water was carried above the arches in an open trough that could be easily repaired. The underground channels require numerous access routes. Covered manholes were placed at regular intervals for this purpose.

The Romans became expert as concrete construction and exploited the materials strength and flexibility. Here a concrete arches are strengthened with stones while the surface of the piers are inlaid with decorative opus reticulatum, diamond-shaped cut stone.