th
# 72 •novemBER 16 , 2015
read more about #Studying (in) Italy
STUDYING (IN) ITALY:
3 Inventions that Shaped
the History of Ancient Rome
By John Cabot University
Many inventions that we
take for granted today
– from roadways to concrete and even our calendar – have their origins in
the ancient world. Some
were invented in Ancient
Rome, and others were
perfected by the Empire
as it absorbed technologies from the civilizations
it conquered. As you complete your studies in Italy,
you’ll get to learn about
some of these innovations
first-hand in one of John
Cabot University’s many
on-site classes. And even
outside of class, students
can explore the world-famous Roman aqueducts,
stroll along 2, 000-year-old roads, or marvel at
the famous dome of the
Pantheon.
68 | WE THE ITALIANS
www.wetheitalians.com
Which inventions shaped the history of Ancient
Rome and why are many
of them still in use today?
Read on to find out.
The Julian Calendar Helped Standardize the Passage of Time
ger or shorter (whichever
best suited their interests).
To help standardize years
(and prevent officials from
manipulating the calendar
to advance their political
agendas), Julius Caesar
created the Julian Calendar. It was based on the
solar year rather than the
phases of the moon, and
used a leap year every
four years to help keep
the calendar in sync with
the Earth’s movements
around the sun. It was only
off by 11 minutes each
year, which is why the Gregorian Calendar we use
today is heavily based on
the Julian version.
While Ancient Roman innovations are often overshadowed by earlier Greek breakthroughs, the
Roman Empire can still
take credit for several important
developments
– including the Julian Calendar. Before the creation
of the Julian Calendar,
Ancient Rome used the
unwieldy Roman Calendar
which was often manipu- Without the calendar to
lated by officials to make help organize important
chronologically,
a term in office either lon- events