.
The Water System Of Ancient Rome
Aqueducts, Water
Supply and Sewers in Ancient Rome
Ann
Olga Koloski-Ostrow, a Brandeis classicist who has studied the Roman latrine,
says, "There are no ancient sources
where you can really learn about daily life... You have to come upon
information almost by chance."
That means it's hard to
answer all the questions or to say with any confidence that this bit of
information about the bathroom habits of the Roman Empire applies to the
Republic as well.
With that caution, here is
some of what we think we know about the water system of ancient Rome.
Roman
Water Carriers - Aqueducts
The
Romans are renowned for engineering marvels, among which is the aqueduct that
carried water for many miles in order to provide a crowded urban population
with relatively safe, potable water, as well as less essential but very Roman
aquatic uses.
Rome had nine aqueducts by
the time of the engineer Sextus Julius Frontinus (circa 35–105),
appointed curator
aquarum in 97, our main ancient source for the water supply.
The first of these was built in
the fourth century B.C. and the last in the first century A.D.
Aqueducts were built because
the springs, wells, and Tiber River were no longer providing the safe water
that was needed for the swelling urban population.
Aqueducts
Listed by Frontinus
1. In 312 B.C., the Appia Aqueduct was built 16,445 meters long.
2. Next was the Anio Verus, built between 272-269, and 63,705
meters.
3. Next was the Marcia, built between 144-140 and 91,424 meters.
4. The next aqueduct was the Tepula, built in 125, and 17,745
meters.
5. The Julia was built in 33 B.C. at 22,854 meters.
6. The Virgo was built in 19 B.C., at 20,697 meters.
7. The next aqueduct is the Alsientina, whose date is unknown. Its
length is 32,848.
8. The last two aqueducts were built between 38 and 52 A.D. Claudia
was 68,751 meters.
9. The Anio Novus was 86,964 meters.[+]
The Drinking Water
Supply in the City
Water
did not go to all residents of Rome.
Only the rich had private
service and the rich were as likely to divert and, hence steal, the water from
the aqueducts as anyone.
Water in residences only
reached the lowest floors. Most Romans got their water from a constantly
running public fountain.
Baths and Latrines
Aqueducts
also supplied water to public latrines and baths.
Latrines served 12-60 people
at once with no dividers for privacy or toilet paper -- only a sponge on a
stick in the water to pass around.
Fortunately, water ran
through the latrines constantly.
Some latrines were elaborate
and may have been amusing. Baths were more clearly a form of entertainment as
well as hygiene.
Sewer
When
you live on the 6th floor of a walk-up with no latrine for blocks, the chances
are you'll use a chamberpot.
What do you do with its
content? That was the question that faced many an insula dweller in Rome,
and many answered in the most obvious way.
They dumped the pot out the
window onto any stray passerby. Laws were written to deal with this, but it
still went on.
The preferred act was to dump
solids into sewers and urine into vats where it was eagerly collected and even
bought by fullers who needed the ammonia in their toga cleaning business.
The Big Sewer - The
Cloaca Maxima
The
main sewer of Rome was the Cloaca Maxima. It emptied into the Tiber River.
It was probably built by one
of the Etruscan kings of Rome to drain the marshes in the valleys between
the hills.
N.S. Gill is a Latinist and freelance writer with a longtime focus
on the classical world.
Experience
In addition to writing articles on ancient
history and classics for About.com, N.S. has been interviewed by Public Radio
and National Geographic on Valentine's Day and the Roman calendar. She has TA'd
classes in the Age of Pericles, technical terms, Classical culture and
mythology. She has also taught Latin.
Education
N.S. Gill has a B.A. in Latin and an M.A. in
linguistics from the University of Minnesota. She has also done graduate level
coursework on classics at the University of Minnesota, writing two master's
level papers, one on the misdating of an Oxyrhynchus papyrus and the other on
Ovid as part of the program.
N.S. Gill
I hope to help spread the updated classical
seed far abroad.
Like the inside of a seed, there is now a
full-grown plant waiting to bloom -- in you. Most of the information I am
providing is basic (never really "all there is to know about X, Y, or
Z"), and often simplified. Especially in citations, you will find many
ideas for further reading in the articles I submit, but if you want more, and
don't want to go looking all over the place (starting with figuring out what to
hunt for in JSTOR and L'Année philologique) for yourself, here is one simple
tip: Look at the bibliographies for general topics in
the Cambridge Ancient History.
https://www.thoughtco.com/aqueducts-water-supply-sewers-ancient-rome-117076
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