They pioneered feats of engineering that we still rely upon today, from bridges and sewers to concrete and roads.
And the Romans also appear to have been early adopters of the art of recycling, according to new findings.
Archeological researchers at Pompeii, the southern Italian city preserved in ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, have found evidence that inhabitants had a system when it came to disposing of rubbish.
Piles of trash outside the city's walls had been preserved as mounds, which were earlier believed to have been created by an earthquake that predated the volcanic eruption.
Professor Allison Emmerson, an American academic who is part of a research team working at the archeological site, this week stated that the mounds were in fact “staging grounds for cycles of use and reuse”.
"We found that part of the city was built out of trash. The piles outside the walls weren't material that's been dumped to get rid of it," said Emmerson, according to The Guardian. "They're outside the walls being collected and sorted to be resold inside the walls."
The mounds, which lined almost an entire external wall on the city's northern side, contained traces of ceramic and plaster, which were likely being conserved as construction materials. The piles were mostly cleared in the mid-20th century, when recycling was far less of a predominant concept, though some examples are still being uncovered.
"The idea has been that all this garbage is the result of that earthquake –rubble that was cleared out of the city and dumped outside of it," said Emmerson. "I thought this was very strange because I see the city really extending outside the walls into the suburbs ... So it didn't make sense to me that they were also being used as landfill."
Scientific analysis has since been used to track the movement of some of the refuse, showing it made its way back from the recycling sites into Pompeii's buildings.
"Garbage dumped in places like latrines or cesspits leaves behind a rich, organic soil. In contrast, waste that accumulated over time on the streets or in mounds outside the city results in a much sandier soil," Emmerson, who worked with fellow archaeologists Steven Ellis and Kevin Dicus, added.
"The difference in soil allows us to see whether the garbage had been generated in the place where it was found, or gathered from elsewhere to be reused and recycled."
Emmerson's research will be published in her forthcoming book, Life and Death in the Roman Suburb, which is due to be released next month.
This point has relevance for the modern garbage crisis
“The Pompeians lived much closer to their garbage than most of us would find acceptable, not because the city lacked infrastructure and they didn’t bother to manage trash but because their systems of urban management were organised around different principles," she said.
“This point has relevance for the modern garbage crisis. The countries that most effectively manage their waste have applied a version of the ancient model, prioritising commodification rather than simple removal.”
Before it was buried in ash, Pompeii was a bustling city with a population of around 20,000, with the almost perfectly preserved ruins uncovered by a 1748 exploration. It is now a Unesco World Heritage Site that welcomes around 2.5 million visitors a year.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
Abu Dhabi racecard
5pm: Maiden (Purebred Arabians); Dh80,000; 1,400m.
5.30pm: Maiden (PA); Dh80,00; 1,400m.
6pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (PA); Group 3; Dh500,000; 1,600m.
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (Thoroughbred); Listed; Dh380,000; 1,600m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Handicap (PA); Dh70,000; 1,400m.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA); Dh80,000; 1,600m
