ROMAN AQUEDUCTS-MARVELS OF ENGINEERING

OF ALL the feats of ancient engineering, Roman aqueducts are among the most remarkable.  "With such an array of indispensable structures carrying so many waters, compare,if you will, the idle Pyramids or the useless, though famous works of the Greeks!" wrote Sextus  Julius Frontius (25-c. 103 C.E.) Roman governor and water commissioner.

Why the Need for Aqueducts? 

Ancient cities were usually built near an abundant water supply, and Rome was no exception. Originally, the Tiber River and nearby springs and wells provided sufficient water.  From the fourth century B.C.E. on, however, Rome grew rapidly as did its need for water.

Since few people had running water in their homes, the Romans  built hundreds of private and public baths.  The first public bath in the city of Rome was fed by the Aqua Virgo,m dedicated in 19 B.C.E. The builder of this aqueduct, Marcus Agrippa, a close friend of Caesar Augustus, poured much of his vast fortune into overhauling and extending Rome's water supply system.

Baths also became social venues, larger ones even having gardens and libraries. After leaving the baths, aqueduct water, which could not be shut off, flowed into the sewers, constantly flushing them of refuse, including waste from the latrines attached to the baths.  

Next time: ROMAN AQUEDUCTS-MARVELS OF ENGINEERING

From the Awake! magazine, 2014