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Aqueducts Of The Roman Aqueducts

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For thousands of years, the Aqueducts of Rome have inspired and changed the ways we look at water supply and usage today. The Romans used their engineering and building skills to improve the standard of life of the people of Rome, “Revolutionising” water collection and usage. By investigating the aqueducts of Rome and presenting evidence and information about how and why they were built, this report will question whether aqueducts were better built than today’s bridges.
The word “aqueduct” is Latin and comes from “aqua” and “ducere” meaning “to lead water”. The Roman aqueducts were a network of channels and pipes built above and below ground with a purpose to carry water across expanses of land. The concept of the Roman aqueducts is simple …show more content…

Access points were also built along the path of the aqueduct to regulate the water supply and clear debris. As the aqueducts approached Rome, the water was emptied into 3 holding tanks – castella (see fig.3). Each holding tank pumped water for a specific purpose such as for public baths, drinking fountains or piping water to the rich. None of the water that the aqueducts used was wasted as the left-over water was used to flush out sewerage systems, power machinery and for agricultural purposes. The senator Sextus Julius Frontinus from the 1st century AD explained in detail how the aqueducts worked. A quote from his book states the different uses of a Roman aqueduct: “The supply which suffices not only for public and private uses and purposes but also for the satisfaction of luxury.” The use of water for many different purposes was unique at the time and ensured that little was wasted.
Every Roman by the 2nd century AD had free access to public baths and running water, which greatly improved Rome’s standard of living at the time. Private access to water was also common with a cost occurring to pipe water to houses and buildings. Sometimes water was tapped unknowingly or pipes were unlawfully connected to the aqueducts or widened. Some privately operated aqueducts were also used and pumped water directly to buildings.

The aqueducts are mostly identified today by the

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