just another brick in the wall
It’s not like the Romans invented arches, but they were awfully fond of them. So fond that they liked to build long series of them, like when they built aqueducts, it was arch after arch after arch. Arches are pretty efficient, you know, because they make it possible to build a great big long thing (like an aqueduct, say) without having to make a whole wall out of it, and furthermore, they’re pretty sturdy. That’s why so many of them are standing today. You know how to build an arch? I’ll explain. You put up some scaffolding and then you build the arch around it. The important thing to keep in mind during arch building is that you work your way up the sides and then you add the top stone last. For instance, don’t try to build an arch from left to right, because it won’t work. That top stone that gets added last? It’s called the keystone, I guess because it’s the key to the whole thing not falling down. The weight from the keystone keeps all the other arch stones (those are called voussoirs) in place.
And it’s not like this is an arch, but it’s pretty easy to believe that this woman is a keystone of sorts, and if she were to move out of place, this whole wall, it might crumble. That’s what I really wanted to tell you.
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