Have you ever taken a moment to appreciate modern plumbing or consider its evolution and how far it has come? We use our bathrooms every day, but how often do we stop to think about the thousands of years of innovating and perfecting the process? There is eventful history around everything from plumbing materials, to the establishment of sewage systems, to indoor plumbing, but for now, we wanted to give a quick history on water supply.
Aqueducts (derived from the Latin word meaning waterway) are regarded as the dawn of plumbing and have helped pave the way for plumbing as we know it today. Before aqueducts, the ancient world relied on springs, streams, groundwater and rain-water for water supply, with early piping systems. The earliest aqueducts came from early civilizations in Egypt and India, but the Romans greatly enhanced these systems and made them ideal for widespread use.
Rome’s first aqueduct was built in 312 BD, and over the next 500 years cities throughout the Roman Empire began to emulate the model. It was considered an expensive, but necessary luxury.
Made from a combination of pipes, canals, bridges and underground tunnels, they were positioned so that gravity would send water from a freshwater source down into a city. The water was used for public fountains, baths, drinking and irrigation. Roman Aqueducts were not only created for the purpose of bringing water into a city, but also for removing dirty water from the city.
It is amazing to think that this technology was the model we now use for sinks, bathtubs, showers, toilets and drains. We help you enjoyed this quick history!
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