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Greek and Roman Architectural Influence
The Greek and the Roman civilizations influenced the development of the United States, especially after independence. During the design of the Washington DC, there was an influence from the Greek and Roman civilizations, especially in architecture. The Greek and Roman architectural designs were among the most conspicuous signs of influence of the two civilizations in the young American nation (Sayre, 2013). One of the main aspects of influence was the way the American buildings in Washington DC were constructed and designed. As American founding fathers sought to avoid any English influence that would portray neocolonialism, they turned to Greek and Roman civilizations for inspiration. As a result, some American buildings portrayed properties of the two ancient civilizations and borrowed heavily in their architectural properties.
A significant influence of the Greek and Romans is the Washington buildings. One of the buildings that borrowed heavily from the Greek and Roman architectural designs was the Jefferson Memorial. This is mainly because Jefferson was highly inspired by the two civilizations and sought to avoid any English connection with the American architecture (Dierckx, 2010). Another building is the Lincoln Memorial, which takes a lot of architectural designs of the ancient Roman civilization buildings. In addition, the United States Supreme Court was designed and constructed in the architectural design inspired by the Roman ancient buildings. These show the extent of influence of the two civilizations in the architectural design and building of Washington DC.
The aesthetic aspect of the Greek and Roman architecture was also an influence in the United States architecture, especially in Washington DC. The beautiful buildings in the United States capital have aesthetic pillars and pediments that borrow heavily from the Greeks and Roman buildings. The pillars were used in the ancient buildings of the two civilizations, making houses stronger and beautiful to view. The architectural designs of the pillars were also related to the designs of the Greek and Roman aches that are also found in the United States (Sayre, 2013). This is another architectural influence of Greek and Roman architecture of the American society.
Selected Example of Roman advancements
One of the greatest elements of Roman advancement was the use of the Roman aqueduct. The aqueduct was a channel constructed by the ancient Romans to convey water. They were built as a bridge across a valley, which was supported by tall columns (Dierckx, 2010). The aqueducts were used to convey water from the sources to communities and people living in the Roman urban centers. The aqueducts impacted the ancient Roman societies by bringing them in fresh water for domestic and commercial use. As a result, the cultures of the ancient Roman societies were impacted as people could live in different parts of the country where water was availed through the aqueducts. This is the way the societies in the Roman cities were able to access clean water and promote better public health.
The advancement of the use of aqueducts has since evolved into a mega engineering concept that is used in the modern world. The advancement of aqueducts has been made possible by the invention of better engineering methods and materials of building the channels. The developments and enhancements that have been made in the use of aqueducts have made them more reliable in the modern world (Dierckx, 2010). Particularly, more advanced aqueducts have been used in supplying water and directing sewers. This advanced use of aqueducts has led to better sanitation and promotion of public health.
References
Sayre, H.M., (2013). Discovering the Humanities (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall
Dierckx, H.M. (2010). Greek and Roman Civilizations. Greensboro, NC: Carson-Dellosa Publishing