Roman architecture was responsible for the development of many different building styles and techniques, and the creation of various new ones. Ancient Rome rapidly expanded from a small city (founded in 753 BC) located on the Tiber River, to an empire with a fifth of the world's population under its control. This demonstrated the strength they possessed and the control of many different cultures led to the acquisition of a wide range of types. The result of the architectural influence of other nations (mainly Greeks and Etruscans) led to the creation of many great masterpieces of art and building design. The Romans took many pre-existing ideals and developed them into new technologies and ways of life; architecture is just one of these developments. These newly developed technologies, such as concrete, have enabled new construction approaches and methods. The arch, dome, vaults and columns, which will be explored in more detail, were also extensively exploited to reach their full construction potential. This greatly improved the way construction techniques and the skills of architects of the time were used. I will argue that Roman architecture introduced a new way of designing and constructing buildings that previous civilizations had not exploited to its full potential. Through my conclusion, it should be seen that Rome used and improved many pre-existing technologies which enabled many new techniques. This allowed them to construct buildings such as the Colosseum, with greater complexity and scale. The Romans are commonly believed to have been the founders of the arch due to the complex and world-famous buildings they created using it. However, the first signs of the arches appeared in the form of a triangle...... in the center of the map...... Vitruvius described 5 types of Roman atrium houses: Tuscan, Corinthian, tetrastyle, displuviate and testudinate ( Sear, F. 1982 p.32). Therefore, the layout of cities, public buildings, and houses also used pre-existing ideas from other cultures to create their own specific styles. Overall, ancient Rome was responsible for the evolution of new building styles through adopting pre-existing styles (primarily Greek and Etruscan) and developing them into broader and bolder approaches to construction. This was done by discovering all the potential of the arch, the combination of different orders of columns and the creation of a new one and the prolonged use of concrete. As such, this allowed Rome to display its strength in more ways than conquering other civilizations. It also shows how Rome improved the architecture and gave it a good foundation to move forward in the future.