Can You Master This Quiz on Ancient Roman Landmarks?

Concrete typically breaks down after 50 to 100 years, but Roman structures made of the material have been around for thousands of years without crumbling. A recipe written down by Roman engineer Marcus Vitruvius involved a mix of seawater, volcanic ash, and lime. Scientists found that when seawater entered the concrete, it reacted to the ash and crystals to form Al-tobermorite, one of the most durable hydrothermal minerals in existence, and one that is hard to recreate in a lab.

The physics of an architectural arch allow it to support a much greater weight than a similarly placed horizontal support beam, and the precisely cut and placed stone blocks that make up the arch are called voussoirs. (The center stone that bears the most pressure is called the keystone.) The ancient Romans didn’t invent the concept of arches, but are credited with taking their construction to new levels. Many famous Roman buildings, including the Colosseum and various temples and city forums, incorporate multiple arches for both decorative purposes and to support taller structures.

If you visit the Colosseum in Rome, be sure to also admire its impressive neighbor: the Arch of Constantine, the world’s largest surviving Roman triumphal arch. Constructed around 315 CE to honor the emperor’s victory, the triple-arched Corinthian design has been imitated around the world. Other famous Roman triumphal arches include the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Janus, both also located in Rome.

Trevi Fountain is one of Rome's most iconic landmarks in a city that's truly filled with them. But for a few years in the early 2010s, tourists weren't able to see the fountain in all its glory as it underwent a major restoration. Luxury fashion house Fendi sprung for the overhaul in exchange for the chance to advertise the brand on a plaque right next to the fountain for four years. Through the Fendi for Fountains initiative, the fashion house chipped in 2.5 million euros to restore Trevi Fountain and four others in the city.

The Baalbek monument, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in the city of Baalbek in Lebanon. Dating back as early as 9,000 BCE, Baalbek includes four known temples: Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, and Bacchus. During its prime, pilgrims migrated from the furthest reaches of the Roman Empire to worship at the site.

Built in 25 CE, the Puente Romano in Mérida, Spain, is the longest-surviving ancient Roman bridge. It spans nearly 2,600 feet across the Guadiana River. The bridge is constructed from old Roman concrete and covered in exterior decorative stones called ashlars. It has a total of 60 arches in one long series.

The Theatre of Orange, located in the Rhône Valley in France, is considered the best-preserved Roman theatre in Europe and is still regularly used for shows. Emperor Augustus had it built in the 1st century CE. The exterior facade has three levels, and the stage wall was the only architectural design element (while also helping project sound).

Historians found between 24 and 28 elaborate lifts beneath the floor of the Colosseum in Rome, which were used to lift animals into the arena for fights. Each intricate system of pulleys and wheels required about eight men to operate and could hold a load of up to 600 pounds, or roughly the equivalent of two adult lions. Operation of all the pulley systems at once would have required well over 200 people working below the floor.

The saying “all roads lead to Rome” has some truth behind it — Roman engineers built over 50,000 miles of roads throughout Europe and northern Africa, primarily to ensure Rome’s highly trained soldiers could be dispatched to its many military endeavors. While adapting to the materials available in each region, Romans used the same paving technique everywhere they built, which involved layers of stones covered with mortar.

The city of Nîmes in France, once known as Nemausus, was supplied with water from the Pont du Gard, a multilevel aqueduct built in the first century CE that stood three levels high at just over 164 feet. The soft yellow limestone construction once carried water across the Gardon River; today, it is both a monument to the ingenuity of Roman engineers and a popular tourist attraction.

At the Hippodrome of Constantinople, located in modern-day Istanbul, the Romans raced chariots. At the time, the Hippodrome was considered a public venue to showcase the emperor’s wealth and power. Chariots raced seven laps around a track that was 1,000 feet around. It encircled a central island called a spina filled with art that had been looted from around the empire.

Located at the northwest edge of the Roman Empire, Hadrian’s Wall was a defensive fortification that stretched 73 miles from coast to coast across modern-day England, where the ruins can still be seen today. The wall was named after the ruler who commissioned it, Emperor Hadrian, around 122 CE. It’s believed the wall took six years to construct with a crew of 15,000 men.

The Torre Argentina ruins in Rome — and to a lesser degree, the Colosseum and the Forum — have a large number of feral cats roaming around. This is due to a special law in Rome that legally allows cats to live freely without interference in the location where they were born. The Torre Argentina site also doubles as a cat sanctuary.

The Pantheon remains a marvel of engineering to this day. It sits atop the site of an earlier building and was completed in 128 CE. Its circular shape of concrete and brick is topped with a dome 142 feet in diameter and 71 feet tall. Historians still aren’t quite sure how it was built, but it has influenced numerous later buildings, including the U.S. Capitol.

A gem of the city of Rome, the Colosseum isn’t just the largest Roman amphitheatre in Europe, it’s the largest one in the world. Emperor Vespasian built it around 82 CE, and during its heyday, the amphitheatre hosted fights, including the famed gladiator battles. Fifty-five thousand people could sit inside.

Aqueducts were a major reason ancient Rome was able to stretch its borders so far out from its origin in central Italy. The structures prevented a reliance on lakes and rivers, which could only sustain populations up to a certain size. While the stone arch aqueducts are the most famous, Roman engineers also built some aqueduct tunnels as far as 20 feet underground.

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, it entombed the ancient city of Pompeii in ash and pumice, leaving few survivors. The excavated remains of the ancient city are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy.

Right in the heart of the city of Rome you’ll find the Roman Forum, one of the most famous Roman ruins. This open-air forum served as a hub for various social activities important to Roman life, and may have been in use since 500 BCE for religious and social ceremonies. The Forum rests between Palatine Hill and Capitoline Hill, and brings in some 4.5 million annual visitors.