Fun_People Archive
12 Jan
Ancient Engineering

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 98 16:59:20 -0800
To: Fun_People
Precedence: bulk
Subject: Ancient Engineering

Forwarded-by: Nev Dull <nev@bostic.com>
Forwarded-by: thomas@gnu.org (Thomas Bushnell, n/BSG)

While reading "As the Romans Did", an excellent sourcebook in Roman social
history, I ran across the following footnote on the chapter relating to city
life.  The quote is attributed to "The Roads That Led to Rome", by Victor
M. Von Hagen. I think it offers a nice commentary on Roman achievements, as
well as Gallican hubris.

	When in 1850 the French General St. Arnaud marched his legions
	through the Kanga pass in the Atlas mountains he reasonably believed
	that he was the first man who had ever traversed so impassable a
	defile.  Then he found carved on a rock an inscription stating:
	"The Legio III Augusta built this road in A.D. 145."

© 1998 Peter Langston