History

     During the early days of Rome the water supply came from the River Tiber, wells, and springs. It was no wonder that Father Tiber was an important deity to the Romans. The Tiber, however, is a very muddy river and also received all the refuse from the Cloaca Maxima, the sewer which flowed under the Forum Roman. By the late 4th century, when the Romans were engaged in the second Samnite War, they urgently needed an alternate water supply. Not only was the water supply no longer reliable for the growing Roman population, it was also possible that enemies of Rome could poison the supply. As these needs began to present themselves, the Romans saw the urgency of an alternate water source. All around Rome one found vibrant springs and rivers. In 312 BC the Adile Appius Claudius undertook construction on the first aqueduct,appropriately named Aqua Appia. This was a simple underground channel. Next came the Aqua Anio Vetus in 272 B.C. Again, this was primarily an underground channel. By 140 B.C. the Aqua Marcia was completed bringing water from the Anio Valley. Eventually there were 11 aqueducts that supplied potable water to Rome, and it is estimated that these aqueducts provided Rome with twelve hundred million liters of water a day. The Romans were dependent upon this water not only for drinking but also for baths, gardens and fountains, and was the source of water for the poor whose homes were not supplied directly. Aqueducts are surely one of the most distinguishing contributions to architecture and hygiene of Roman descent. When visiting Rome today one sees ruins that were aqueducts as well as many fountains that date from several different historical eras.