Roman Aqueducts


Roman Aqueducts


The Romans were prolific builders of aqueduct systems throughout their empire, which were used to supply water for the famous Roman baths, sewage disposal, animal and human consumption, etc. Although they are widely perceived to have invented the aqueduct, versions of aqueduct structures existed in the Mediterranean region for centuries before the Romans constructed their first aqueduct (Aqua Appia) in 312 BC. Many of these earlier structures are credited to the Greeks, who had previously developed versions of aqueducts and exported the technology to their colonies in the region (Van Deman 1934).

E.B. Van Deman. 1934. The Building of The Roman Aqueducts. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington D.C.


Where can I find more information about Roman Aqueducts?


Romaq, The Atlas Project of Roman Aqueducts, is an excellent source and one of the inspirations for this project. Romaq focuses mostly on compiling references, but also provides simple route maps and summary statistics for aqueduct structures from the period 400 BC to 400 AD. A recent review noted that the ROMAQ web site had not been updated since 2013, but that new data collected by the Romaq team were available on their sister web site Roman Aqueducts (See Review).


Additional Sources on Roman Aqueducts:


Roman Aqueduct: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Roman Aqueducts – Marvels of Engineering (JW.org)

Roman Aqueducts: United Nations of Roma Vitrix (UNVR)