Martin, Julia Bauen in römischer Zeit. Auf den Spuren antiker Baumeister im römischen Xanten

Rome was not built in a day - and of course neither was the Colonia Ulpia Traiana in Xanten on the Lower Rhine. This book tells the story of the detailed planning and experimental construction surrounding the ancient buildings, as well as the Roman building industry and its construction sites. When the Romans arrived in Xanten, they brought with them a new urban culture that was previously unknown to the local population. With spectacular engineering feats at the height of their time, the Romans created magnificent temples and luxurious baths. However, not everyone could afford a heating system or marble baths at home. Most people built their houses from the materials that were available cheaply in the neighbourhood. This richly illustrated book guides you through the excavations and reconstructions in the LVR Archaeological Park Xanten and explains in thematic chapters the techniques of Roman building that were used in Roman Germania. The focus is on the people who created the city as well as the organisation of ancient building sites and the value of experimental reconstructions for science. In addition, we learn that not everything went smoothly on the building site, then as now - selected ancient texts show that the annoyances and difficulties on Roman building sites often differed little from our experiences today.