TWP: Stonehenge and Roman Baths

Page wrote about his impressions of Stonehenge and Bath in this TWP posting:


With modern technology, the strenuous jobs of yesterday become the easy tasks of today. A replica of Stonehenge could be built in a couple of hours today and natural hot spring baths have already been built all over the world. The fact that Stonehenge was built between 3.5 thousand to 5 thousand years ago is amazing.
Without giant dump trucks or cranes, it is a marvel as to how Stonehenge was constructed. The speculation of the use of simple machines and physics to haul and lift the 50 ton slabs of stone shows some of the earliest use of basic engineering. The innovative strategies used to complete the structure demonstrate the importance of advancing technologies. We are able to push the limits of yesterday by developing newer technologies.

The Roman baths were built approximately 2 thousand years ago. The innovations demonstrated in the construction of these baths are different than those demonstrated at Stonehenge. Stonehenge required the ability to haul extremely heavy objects, solved in part with various simple machines and brute force. The construction of the Roman baths required the ability to control and conduct the various natural springs. The baths are a prime example of how engineering had developed over a thousand years. Tasks were becoming more logic driven. This sort of engineering task could not be solved with blunt force. Today, most problems we face can’t be solved by blunt force either. In order to solve many of the tasks presented to us, we will have to strive to develop creative new solutions.

I really enjoyed being able to see both of these marvels not only for their natural beauty but from an engineering standpoint too. Although I am not a civil or structural engineer, I am still fascinated with the ways in which these two places were built.