A civilisation of water
One of the names of the Roman civilisation

Providing Rome of enough water was always a big worry for the emperor. 
 

Only men with a good reputation with the emperor could be made responsible for organising the supply of and distribution of the water ("cura aquarum" = the water administration). At the end of the 1st century the aqueducts supplied 992.200 m³ water, more then enough to provide each of the 1 million Romans in the city with 600 to 900 liter water per day. The water was distributed by the state and was state property.

The first aqueduct (Aqua Appia) was built by Appius Claudius, later nicknamed Caecus (the blind), who also constructed the Via Appia (the famous highroad from Rome to Capua). The aqueduct was finished in 312 bC and was based on the technology of the Greek.
Important was to maintain the angle of the canal. Because of the difference in height the Aqua Appia had a length of about 16,5 km, whereas the source was only 11 km away from Rome.

The Anio Vetus, built in 272 bC, was 60 km long and is in fact the first exemple of an aqueduct, because this aqueduct was less based on the Greek technology and more on the aqueducts we know now of the Romans.

For more informtion click under mentioned photograhs.

                  Aqua                    Cistern + Caracalla                 Aqua Claudia              Rome aD 350     Rome now