The Roman Arch was actually adopted from the Etruscans, and design of the aqueduct from the Greeks.
There are three distinct periods of Roman history - the Monarchy (753-509 BC), the Republic (509-31 BC), and the Empire (31 BC - 312 AD). The Monarchy is characterized by Etruscan rule, with a string of seven moderate kings, a strong Pagan society, and an agrarian and a cultural context that was somewhat, though not fully, matriarchal. The Republic formed after what many historians refer to as the Roman revolution, where the populous overthrew the Etruscans. The Revolution in truth was fueled by a combination of a weak Etruscan King, Tarquin the Proud, and the invading northern Celts. For it was the Celts that helped create the Roman mindset to expand to infinity as a form of self-protection (Aldrete 2004; Virga 2007). The Republican period also witnessed a maturing of the city of Rome. There was intense expansion of roads and infrastructure, as well as fuller development of the arts and architecture that we relate to today. It was also a time of rule following the first set of written, rather than arbitrary or commonly understood, laws and policies. The laws' intent was to build-up the city, keep order and nurture the populous' moral countenance. After the fall of the Etruscans, the Romans (now in expansion/self-preservation mode) absorbed the Greek states and unified much of Italy and the surrounding states. The final period of Roman history was the era of Empire. Roman persistence at expansion and thirst for wealth led to the conquering of twenty-five modern countries that spanned all of the Mediterranean boundaries from the Middle-East to Britannia. By the late 3 rd century AD, there were 60 million Romans.The Empire began to dissolve around 300 AD due to a complex combination of invading northerners, shifts in political power, a division of the Empire's boundaries into two halves (East and West), and the adoption of Christianity (Gill).
Roman Drinking Water and Sewer Systems
Water it confounds easy management; it's heavy and difficult to move uphill; it's unwieldy and cannot be easily packed or contained; and it's fragile, easily becoming contaminated. James Salzman