Ancient Romans built very fancy structures and buildings in their civilization. Some of these structures and buildings are still standing, as you can see in this picture.
(Picture of present-day Rome)
During the time of the Romans, they learned how to use the arch, thevault, and the dome to build large structures. A vault is an arch used to support a ceiling or roof. A dome is a vault in the shape of a hemisphere that rests on a circular wall. These designs are actually very popular and common in houses everywhere in the United States. On top of that, the Romans were also the first to make widespread use of concrete. Although they made concrete in a different way than we do today, it still worked very well. Rome created a new kind of building called a stadium, which were large, open-air structures. In the Colosseum, Romans built tunnels so spectators would have an easy time getting to their seats in the stadium. Modern football stadiums still have these tunnels, thanks to the Romans. Many architects are inspired by the grand style of Roman buildings. An innovation that was widely copied from the Romans is the triumphal arch. This monument was built to celebrate great victories and achievements, and continues to be popular today. Roman architectural influence can be seen in many modern churches, banks, and government buildings. In fact, the Capitol building, home of the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. carries some of these aspects. Another huge contribution from Rome that continues to have a large impact on 21st century society is engineering. The Romans were the greatest builders of roads, bridges, and aqueducts in the ancient world. About 53,000 miles of road connected Rome with the frontiers of the empire. The techniques used to build roads in Rome set the standard of road building for 2,000 years. Cars in some parts of Europe drive on freeways built over old Roman roads. Not only that, but the Romans also set a new standard for building aqueducts. Roman arches from these aqueducts can still be found in Europe, North America, and Asia Minor. Architecture and Engineering have flourished greatly because of Rome, and they continue to improve based on this ancient civilization and what they did.