The process of urbanisation in the Roman world during the Republican and Imperial periods led to the emergence of complex types of public and private architecture. A precise construction technology was developed that included the use of mortar and fired bricks, tiles and decorative plaques. This led to a variety of solutions for constructing large and small buildings (baths, amphitheatres, circuses, basilicas and tenement blocks) in cities and for resolving the problems related to water supply and drainage, heating and major infrastructure (road networks, ports and defensive walls).