2007-06-15 12:27:42 · 3 answers · asked by orangetictac1027 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
I would say the ancient Roman works like the Flavian Amphitheater (aka Collosseum), the Baths of Caracalla, the aquaducts... they were paid for out of the rich folks pockets so they could buy influence. The Baths of Caracalla used over 20000 slaves.... you can't compare the value of money over time, but that's a huge human cost.
In modern times, depends on what you mean by private, really. If you think of construction more broadly than a bridge or building, (like a product launch) then projects like the development of an airplane can run into the billions... or tens of billions.
I would say the winner would probably be the American railroad system in the 1800s, as a straight civil project. The modern corporation had to be invented to assemble enough capital for that.
2007-06-15 14:12:10 · answer #1 · answered by DT3238 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Big Dig
2007-06-15 22:17:56 · answer #2 · answered by Schmitty 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pobably my neighbor's new garage. You should see it.
2007-06-15 19:34:17 · answer #3 · answered by Gene 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋