Roman Plumbing

I knew that the Romans invented plumbing and sewer systems. What I never really realized was the incredible scale, and their understanding of the necessity of public hygiene. Did you know that every person entering a Roman City was required to bathe at the port of entry before entering public spaces?

Without plumbing and sewage systems, civilization crumbles. Don't believe me? After the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe was thrown into the Dark Ages. Diseases like Plague were rampant, and all the intellectual, artistic and spiritual advances the Empire made possible were lost for centuries. In the East, where the Roman Empire persisted as the Holy Roman Empire, all the infrastructure was maintained. Consequently, culture, science, religion and art flourished.

Here's a little photo journal to give you an idea of just how advanced the Roman infrastructure was. The only thing we've changed in the last 1500 years or so are the materials we use. Otherwise, plumbing and sewage systems are laid out, for the most part, following Roman guidelines.

Terracota pipe system, still intact along the Agora in Smyrna (Izmir).

One of the pipes, now exposed, that would have been encased in the wall.

The water channel that ran under the Agora (shopping center) in Smyrna.
This fed both water supplies for shops and the sewage drainage for public latrines. 

One of the wall-encased pipes, STILL carrying water through the Smyrna Agora.

Roman pipes came in a variety of widths to control water flow and take advantage of gravity.

Public fountain, both decorative and for washing, in the Smyrna Agora.