The Romans, Water and Civilization

For centuries we have known water to be the most essential element of life. Water is unscented, nearly colorless and flavorless in its most true form. An element found within our own body, found in the food we eat and the beverages we drink. We use it to cleanse ourselves, our clothes, dishes and just about everything around us. All forms of life need it, and if they don't get enough of it, they die. Political disputes have centered on it. In some places, it's treasured and incredibly difficult to get. In others, it's incredibly easy to get and then squandered. Water became a commodity with the Roman Empire it was of course required for their existence, therefore, the Roman Empire had to come up with a way to control and successfully manage the use of water.

In ancient times the Roman Empire was the most powerful civilization of its time. Rome, because of water was able to make brilliant advancements in the movement and the use of water. The Romans were known to use a vast amount of water the exact usage is unknown however, early opinions on the amount of water delivered by artificial rivers known as aqueducts, Latin for “conveyance of water” varies from a low of 322,000 cubic meters per day (Herschel, 1913) to a high of 1,010,623 (Ashby, 1935).

Romans, at first, turned to the Tiber River, local springs, and shallow wells for their drinking water; but water obtained from these sources grew polluted and became inadequate for the city’s growing population. It was these necessities that lead to the development of aqueduct technology. The aqueducts were one of the key advancements that removed the challenge for the empires authority to maintain a fresh water supply to its people. In addition, the engineering ...

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...ill continue to play an important role in helping shape and reform a civilization. From all that I have gathered I come to the conclusion that without water or the aqueducts the Roman Empire would not be seen as the spectacular culture that they were.

Works Cited

Ashby, Thomas, and I. A. Richmond. The Aqueducts of Ancient Rome. Oxford: Clarendon, 1935.

Bruun, Christer. The Water Supply of Ancient Rome: A Study of Roman Imperial Administration. Helsinki: Societas Scientiarum Fennica, 1991.

Bryson, Bill. At Home: A Short History of Private Life. New York: Doubleday, 2010.

Herschel, Clemens. The Stratagems ; and The Aqueducts of Rome. London: Heinemann, 1913.

"Waterworks." Ancient Greece and Rome: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. Carroll Moulton. Vol. 4. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. 130-131. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.