CLEP Western Civ I

Answer: B - Cathedrals did not become prominent in Rome until the Middle Ages. The Romans engaged in numerous other building projects and fostered many architectural advancements. Aqueducts were a critical aspect of Roman civilization allowing the people to reliably move tons of water into the city for public baths, toilets, ornamental fountains, and general use (hygiene, drinking, and cooking), while simultaneously moving human and commercial waste material out of the city through aqueduct-based sewage systems. While earlier cultures built aqueducts for similar uses as well as crop irrigation, the Romans were exceptionally accomplished at building them because they innovated their design with arches. The arch was a common architectural feature in Rome, and its development was a pivotal moment in the development of architecture, as an art and in terms of practical construction. Arches could support much more weight than a straight-lined frame. They made bigger, heavier structures possible. The development of the arch ultimately led to the dome, which was used as a roof on various ancient buildings, like the Pantheon. The ancient Romans were also famed for their network of paved roads, which was built primarily for pedestrian travel, first for the military and later for trade.