Who Invented Arches?
The Babylonians were the first to make use of arches in their architecture in recorded history. Among the earliest known arches, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon is one and it dates back to 6th century BC. The Assyrian name for the gate is Darvaza d’Ishtar. The gate was built by the then emperor Nebuchadnessar.
Although the Babylonians invented the arches, it was the Romans who used them on a massive scale. An arch is a structurally strong structure and, because of its special design, it can bear a heavy weight but still remain intact. The Romans were great builders. They built huge buildings, roads, and pipelines to carry water to their capital. To build all this, they needed a design which was strong and durable – arches were the best architectural design available then.
Although the arches have their own categories; triangular arch, lancet arch, segmental arch, inflexed arch and ogee arch, they have all got one thing in common – they work on a single principle, that is the load is distributed uniformly along its entire structure. Their designing needs attention because the Romans witnessed many incidents where the arches fell in the moment the scaffolding was removed.
Today almost each civilized country has arches standing as symbols of battles or other achievements. Most famous among them is Arc de Troimphe (Arch of Triumph) in Paris, built by Napoleon.
Category: Inventions