The Romans were the first society to have a copius supply of water for the entire community. Unlike classical societies that supplied their citizens by collecting rain water on the roofs of buildings, the romans designed ways to bring water to them from many miles away. Through open channeled conduits and common pipelines water flowed abundently into the roman cities. Underground pipes were the main transporter of water and were usually made of clay, bronze, and lead.Water sources usually had to be from above the city because the pipes relied on gravity. The well recognized arched aqueducts were used only to cross low plains and valleys and were only a fraction of the total distance the water must travel. Some pipelines had to travel 30 to 40 miles to get to a city. The first aqueduct was constructed in 312B.C. and by the second century A.D. Rome was fed 1 million cubic meters of water daily. Once the water was in the city it was split into huge distribution tanks and then spread throughout the city trough smaller pipelines.
 

     Underground pipe found in Rome.