Field Trip: The Romans

Who would have thought that the Romans living thousands of years ago would have created the stepping-stone for life, as we know it today? Dating back to 600 AD, the Romans created many infrastructure systems that we still use today. However, the Roman infrastructure systems have been more modernized today. A few things that really stood out to me, in the Roman times, were the water aqueducts, sewage systems, and heating system.

Here is an example of the Roman sewage system, which collected the sewage and was later emptied into the Meditteranean. It is believed the Romans created the sewage and aqueduct systems to prevent people from illnesses.

The Romans also invented ways to prolong their food. One of their creations was garum, which was a type of fish sauce that was used on many different types of foods. One of the best things about Garum was its storability. The romans stored the garum in containers and it was able to last long periods of time.

Here is an example of the Dolia, which is a large ceramic basin  used to prepare and store the garum.

Not only did the Romans leave actual remains of their city, they left many small artifacts, too. These include: perfume bottles, tweezers, jewelry, coins, ceramic tiles, clothes dye, laundry detergent ingredients, etc.. The intelligence of the Romans makes me wander if we really have advanced a considerable amount? Or have we just taken their ideas and reinvented them for more practical use?

Here is an image of some jewelry remains left by the Romans.

After visiting the museum, it was easier to relate the Roman's impact on Catalan Culture. For example, the architecture the Romans left in Barcelona is vividly seen from the streets, aqueducts, sewage systems, heating systems, etc.. Also, it's easy to see the impact the Roman's left on the language and religion, here in Barcelona, from their discovered underground city. By seeing this city, I saw firsthand how powerful the Roman's must have been.