This is of course an up close and personal picture of the Roman Aqueduct which graces Segovia's skyline. Walking past the aqueduct the other day I noticed that nearly each of the stones had a strange spot on it. They are not placed in an artistic or symmetric order and overall they did not seem to be put there for the aesthic advantage of the aqueduct. Coincidentally, one of my professors handed out an assignment with information about the aqueduct which answered my question. The spots are a result of the building technique. The Romans lifted the stone into place by use a simple pulley method with a pair of tongs that grasped each side of the large stone. The answer was very clear and made a large amount of sense.
Upon having my question answered I then made the connection of ancient building techniques compared with today. While me use a machine that can life something ten times its weight rather than a a mass of men and horses, the idea is the same. The Roman Aqueduct stands in Segovia as a result of Roman mastery and now as a symbol to Segovia's heritage. However, it does more than that. The Roman Aqueduct displays not only human ingenuity, but it ties 2000 years of human ingenuity together. One of the other students on the trip recently commented, "When I see the aqueduct I wonder when is it coming down? It can't last forever!" While the basic reality of his thought is practical and realistic, it also speaks to what the strength of the aqueduct and its inconceivable lastingness.