Roman Waterway System

1271 Words6 Pages
Rome's water supply system was one of the marvels of the ancient world. The great and highly advanced Roman waterway system known as the aqueducts, are among the greatest architectural- and infrastructural- achievements made by the Romans. The Roman’s aqueducts created a system where running water, indoor plumbing and sewage were a normal way of life. This water system, unique to its times, carried away calamity and disease from the population and then dumped it in places where no one of importance could be harmed. Even though the true glory of what aqueducts were to become, was not perfected until more modern times, like the Industrial Revolution: the aqueducts still stand as a testament to Roman engineering. They were and are some of the…show more content…
With the combination of stone, brick and special volcanic cement the aqueducts were engineered. The great bulk of the Roman waterway system ran below ground. Channels were burrowed through rock or below the surface which carried water where it was most convenient for the aqueduct to work. The aqueducts were built only to carry the flow of water in areas where digging, burrowing, or surface grades presented problems, such as valleys. Where valleys or lowlands intervened, the conduit was carried on bridgework, or its contents fed into high-pressure lead, ceramic or stone pipes and tapped across. The entire system relied upon various gradients and the use of gravity to maintain a continuous flow; being constructed along a slight downward gradient within conduits of stone, brick or concrete. The engineering at the time was remarkable. Without the aqueducts it would've been impossible to maintain the flow of water at the proper grades…show more content…
It was heated by fires which slaves underneath kept burning or from the hot air outside. In the room, there would be a bath of hot water that sunk into the floor and there was sometimes even a hot, dry area for inducing sweat. The caldarium had a cross-vaulted middle bay and three projecting apses. Dressing rooms were located on both sides of the caldarium and the private rooms had various functions, including private baths and poetry readings. The bath's patrons would use olive oil to cleanse themselves by applying it to their bodies and scrape away grime. (Time-Life Books, 79). This was sometimes left on the floor for the slaves to pick up or put back in the pot for the women to use for their
Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast Ancient Greece And Rome

    714 Words  | 3 Pages

    most influential empires during their reigns they both flourished under their government status’ they held, their similar religious practices, and through their creations and inventions. Throughout time every empire or country has needed a ruling system to control and improve their lands. Nonetheless, Ancient Greece and Rome did so by creating their own government types that both were akin to each other, but still very different. The Ancient Greeks created a government that was constructed around

    Read More

  • American Life In The Seventeenth-Century Colonies

    3843 Words  | 16 Pages

    Chapter 4 | American Life in the Seventeenth Century 1. “Describe the basic population structure and social life of the seventeenth-century colonies.” The social structure in the South started with the plantation owners on top, then small farmers, followed by landless Whites, and finally Black slaves. In 1676 in Virginia, a rebellion occurred that was led by Nathaniel Bacon who tried to combat their low social standing and were also dislikes Governor William Berkeley’s friendly policies towards the

    Read More

More about Roman Waterway System

Open Document