WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Roman aqueduct was a channel used to transport fresh water to highly populated areas. Aqueducts were amazing feats of engineering given the time period.

Detailed explanation-2: -Aqueducts moved water through gravity alone, along a slight overall downward gradient within conduits of stone, brick, concrete or lead; the steeper the gradient, the faster the flow.

Detailed explanation-3: -Engineers have built aqueducts, or canals, to move water, sometimes many hundreds of miles. Actually, aqueducts aren’t a high-tech modern invention-the ancient Romans had aqueducts to bring water from the mountains above Rome, Italy to the city.

Detailed explanation-4: -When the water from an aqueduct reached the city, it would be stored in a cistern or distributing reservoir called a castellum. Smaller lead pipes would carry water from the castellum to either public works like fountains and bathhouses or private residences.

Detailed explanation-5: -Together with concrete, sheets of lead also were used to line the channels of Roman aqueducts (cf. Vitruvius, II. 6.1). But lead also was known to be dangerous and, for that reason, pipes made of clay were preferred-as Vitruvius, who wrote during the time of Augustus, explains.

Detailed explanation-6: -When they assessed the shape and thickness of the travertine, they concluded that the aqueduct usually was filled to the brim with water, on the order of 370 gallons of water per second. Though that amount of water could have easily supplied the entire city with water, it’s still not as much as previously expected.