Mesopotamia
Since ancient times, builders have known that doors and windows weaken structures, so they supported the walls with lintels, but these were still fragile and allowed only narrow doors; only the invention of the arch allowed wider openings and more resistant buildings.
An arch is made up of a series of blocks arranged in a semicircle; to build one, first a curved wooden structure was used to support the arch during construction, and the stones were placed starting from the bottom. The last stone was the one at the top center, called the keystone! At this point, the wooden base was removed and the arch was complete!
But who invented the arch?
It is not possible to date the invention of the arch with any certainty, but we do know that the Etruscans used it and the Romans perfected it. Examples of arches can also be found in Egypt and Mesopotamia, such as the Ishtar Gate in Babylon (in modern-day Iraq).
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