How did Roman Aqueducts work?

Everything you've wanted to know about Roman aqueducts. How they functioned. What they were used for in Roman cities. Exclusive access into aqueducts channels in Rome and throughout the Empire.
0:00 Introduction
0:36 Initial water sources for Rome
0:53 Aqua Appia
1:08 Gravity flow system
2:11 11 Aqueducts of Rome
2:32 Ancient literary sources: Vitruvius and Frontinus
2:57 Water sources for aqueducts
3:24 Establishing the slope of the aqueduct channel
4:01 Equipment used in surveying
5:00 The water channel: specus
6:00 Porta Maggiore
6:53 Castellum aquae
8:00 Lead pipes
8:28 Water flow rates: quinaria
9:26 Spring water deposited calcium inside the water channels
10:32 What were aqueducts used for?
12:47 Famous imperial aqueducts in the Empire
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[@neimanmario]

And it was not mentioned that many aqueducts, perhaps most, did not use any mortar between the rocks that form its structure. I can attest this fact at least for the one in Segovia, which I visited several times. The individual pieces were cut with such precision that they fit perfectly and sustained themselves without any mortar in between. And they still stand 2000 years later. Amazing!!

[@AncientRomeLive]

Yes, so true- same goes for Aqua Claudia in Rome!

[@elainebmack]

Extraordinary!

[@andyroo9381]

I visited Madrid, Spain for one week. I made a daytrip to Segovia, just to see the aqueduct. It was so big, beautiful and amazing!

[@antonboludo8886]

Same here.

[@moniquelee3623]

''I often think that the Romans were fortunate; their civilization reached as far as hot baths without touching the fatal knowledge of machinery.'' James Hilton

[@AncientRomeLive]

They made some incredible advances. We like to share insights on the civilization, for better and worse! Free lectures monthly (live) if you sign up for our newsletter at ancientromelive.org.

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

As a land surveyor and a history geek, I am in absolute awe of what the ancient peoples accomplished with their tools. Human ingenuity knows no bounds. I would love to learn to use ancient Roman surveying equipment.

[@AncientRomeLive]

There are some interesting experimental archaeology videos out there showing some of the equipment in use.

[@JeremiahAlphonsus]

They were superior, far superior, to modern man. Reject the myth of progress.

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

@@JeremiahAlphonsus I find idealizing them is counter-productive when trying to understand them.

[@Xhosalion]

Additionally there were holding tanks along the route of the aqueduct with sluice gates. An official lived nearby. His task was analogous to the railway gatekeeper at a crossing. His task was to change the size of the sluice gate in order to either reduce, or augment the flow of water so that it was at the optimum level within the water course. The ovoid shape of the water course was designed to prevent back currents and was dependent on the flow not being too strong, which could cause wall damage, or to weak, which would not allow an even distribution of sediment and thus cause build up and eventual blockages. He was also responsible for keeping the channels clear. When the Germanic tribes took over the Roman area, they neglected to pay for this official, causing a degradation of the whole aqueduct system both in reliability of water flow and structural integrity. (Source: the museum at Pont du Gard, Provence)

[@grahamhodge8313]

Excellent video. I have visited the aqueducts in aqueduct park near the Appian Way and also canoed down the river beneath the Pont Du Gard and visited the museum there. The Romans were so far ahead of their time that it was many centuries before equivalent levels of technology were reinvented. Astounding stuff.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Two amazing adventures with aqueducts. We have a lot more to share - even in Rome- regarding the individual routes, so stay tuned!

[@mikeifyouplease]

How crazy wonderful that some of the Ancient Roman aqueducts are still in use TODAY!! And not only is that amazing, but historians and engineers don't have to guess and speculate on how the aqueducts worked and functioned because they can just walk over to the Ancient Roman aqueducts are are in operation...RIGHT NOW in the modern city of Rome!!

[@AncientRomeLive]

Rome is a truly rich resource for the study of aqueducts. Bits and pieces of various lines are still being uncovered in a number of excavations. Truly astounding.

[@gzee6820]

Playing AC Valhalla and every time I pass the aqueducts in North England, I wondered how they worked! This video explains it perfectly and really good for getting a sense of the immense scope of the project to bring water into the empire.

[@WalkingToursVlog]

Amazing & beautiful video! 👍😍 Respect to the author! 🏆 Thanks for sharing! 🤝

[@ecamp6360]

As someone who worked at NYC's DEP (Water/Sewer Dept.) this was fascinating. Learned alot. A "duh!" point for me was when he said that the bridges that we consider "aqueducts" were ..."a [small] fraction..." of the whole system. As in NYC, most is underground. The High Bridge was our Roman "aqueduct.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Awesome! Thank you for sharing your experience. It's fantastic to make those connections with the past!

[@RTD3]

Thanks for making this video 1 month after returning from a 2 week exploration/vacation of Rome 😁. Roman aquaducts define the brilliance of Roman engineering, imho.

[@AncientRomeLive]

We agree! Expect a couple more videos on specific aspects of aqueducts in Rome!

[@kayfish7621]

Excellent lecture. It makes me curious how much the populace was affected by the lead pipes carrying water.

[@AncientRomeLive]

thank you. Yes, we can devote more videos so such aspects of aqueducts (check our water in Rome playlist for 2 more videos on aqueducts). The lead quickly became lined with calcium (as it was spring water)- thereby keeping the water from directly touching the lead. The water never "sat" in the pipes. It was always flowing. Today, we can look at the US and note that lead pipes are still frequently in use (but the water "sits" in those pipes!): "NRDC estimates that there is a range of 9.7 million to 12.8 million pipes that are, or may be, lead, spread across all 50 states". www.nrdc.org/resources/lead-pipes-are-widespread-and-used-every-state. It's not just a Roman issue- but one that is still a concern today!

[@Dave-ro3nj]

@@AncientRomeLive Smarter then than now.

[@stephie.m]

​@@Dave-ro3njin more ways than one, unfortunately.

[@ildianci]

Amazing! Thank you very much, very informative video!

[@AncientRomeLive]

Thank you!

[@jarrodreaves243]

Love the vid bro keep em coming

[@AncientRomeLive]

thanks, man. We are on a roll- just need to get the word out. Thanks for sharing!

[@chillinginthefrozennorth6958]

Thank you for answering my question. 1000+ years and still working? That's amazing.

[@ecamp6360]

Thank the popes and bishops, the "pontiffs" who maintained the bridges and kept the water flowing through the "Dark Ages."

[@chrisbelsito4231]

Absolutely amazing!!! Just blows my mind

[@edithcallaway4316]

A 'Plumber' the Roman name for a worker of Lead, the chemical symbol of lead is Pb, hence The name of the Tradesman 'Plumber'

[@flamencoprof]

Excellent stuff. I am disappointed in myself for not thinking of trying to see the workings you showed of that aqueduct in Segovia when I was there.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Such a great aqueduct line!

[@LeePenn2492]

Interesting and informative..years ahead of their time .

[@denizalgazi]

Fascinating subject! 👍

[@AncientRomeLive]

thank you- please note we have 2 other Aqueduct videos. And subscribe to ancientromelive.org newsletter for links to free seminars.

[@silverchairsg]

4:22 It's really cool to see the groma immortalized in the inscription.

[@AncientRomeLive]

That was a special treat to see it- there are actually quite a few! But panning up / zooming in (and pairing it with the reconstruction version) was a fun way to underline its importance.

[@user-ff7ji9ud6r]

this video was insane it helped a lot for my socsil studies project every other video was trash i wanted to through my chromebook in the garbage because they sucked so much but this video actually helped merci beaucoup-mr -spencer

[@markusdylewski7592]

Uwazam pana kanal za najlepswzy w tematyce antycznego Rzymu.Pozdrawiam.

[@southpaw8168]

well made video!

[@johnrobinson4445]

Really great topic. 8.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Thank you! 10😊

[@marthaarya167]

great explanations

[@AncientRomeLive]

Thank you!

[@mikeifyouplease]

If you ever get a chance to come to California, I would recommend a visit to the Spanish Mission in the city of Lompoc. While no where as magnificent as the aqueducts of Ancient Rome, it does have its own mostly intact aqueduct system, from the water source of a small lake through a water-filter building to finally the public fountain that provided water for the residents of the mission. The aqueduct itself is a mere stone-encased ditch, you can leisurely walk from start to finish in a mere hour. It is also interesting that there are postings on the mission grounds, that stated that the designers of the system used the information gained from literature of the Ancient Rome engineers on how to design and construct such a water system. And finally, on an intriguing twist of history, it was the Native American Indians, who bathed daily in local streams, while the "civilized" Spaniards did not bathe for months on end and stank to high heaven.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Thanks for sharing!

[@SW-11]

Interesting that 1:200 is used today for gravity sewers (at least where I live). Great video. Thanks!

[@SW-11]

As are settlement chambers to remove debris. Amazing.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Thank you!

[@Kayla-ep5gm]

Great video! Still think it’s amazing that trams in Rome pass right under the aqueducts at Porta Maggiore in Rome! What would happen if one of them had a blockage or sprung a leak?

[@AncientRomeLive]

Such an amazing transport zone! The area deserves more respect! If any problems, a given line was stopped at the source for maintenance- workers then entered the empty channel to repair the problem.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Such an amazing transport zone! The area deserves more respect! If any problems, a given line was stopped at the source for maintenance- workers then entered the empty channel to repair the problem.

[@chillinginthefrozennorth6958]

Aside from the one supplying the Trevi Fountain, how many more aqueducts are still in use? Are any countries in the former Roman Empire considering repairing, restoring and re-opening, their Roman aqueducts?

[@FerEriol]

The aqueduct of Segovia was in use for water supply to the city until beginnings of 20th century, when it was replaced by modern pipe system.

[@LyricsHaven123]

So did the water run over the top or underground

[@mikeifyouplease]

Your voice sounds A LITTLE like Manuel Bravo, who also creates great videos about Ancient Rome. Perhaps you two should collaborate on future projects, if you haven't already.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Ah ha! Just you wait! We admire his work!

[@zacharyhinschberger2414]

Simply amazing. The time and effort they put into everything with the intent for it to last forever! So I'm assuming lead poisoning for many people though with the piping??

[@johnmcnulty4425]

I wonder what the impact on the water table and the surrounding countryside was from diverting away so much water?

[@AncientRomeLive]

Great question. Luckily, Italy is rich in springs (main source for the aqueducts).

[@lesliejamespayne3942]

They probably originated from a Reservoir or Lake, below the Snow line/levels?

[@genghisthegreat2034]

It works by Manning's Law....an Irish engineer. But the Romans knew instinctively, the right trade off between gradient, wetted perimeter, roughness factor....and laminar openchannel flow

[@user-bk3bp5yy7m]

Probably the amount of lead exposure was reduced over time as the pipes were internally coated with calcium deposits

[@leonardothefabulous3490]

Nice job. One question; how did they measure elevation-to know what sources were higher than Rome-many tiles away?

[@AncientRomeLive]

We agree!

[@leonardothefabulous3490]

@@AncientRomeLive Actually, I was asking a question.

[@who9387]

How did they work ? Water always runs downhill, SIMPLES What was ther function ? They bdelivered water from A to B

[@benjeanettebooth1800]

There is a very well preserved aqueduct in Nimes, a Roman city in southern France.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Yes, we looked at its castellum aquae at 7:50.

[@rlccar8518]

-10 points for use of "iconic" (sorry had to be said 😄) BUT! Very nice video. I especially liked the part about the equipment used for measuring.

[@ingemarolson3240]

Did I interpret the calcium deposits inside the specus correctly? It looked like they narrowed the channel down to less than half its original width. Was that typical?

[@mikeifyouplease]

Great question!

[@AncientRomeLive]

The calcium deposits varied per individual channel- aqueduct source. Frontinus writes about cleaning the channels. We know this was done, but not the frequency. Accretions- of various levels- are visible in Rome. The Pont du Gard example is really extreme. Famously, its slope is very slight, which would have had a negative effect.

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

@@AncientRomeLive I walked in that [dry] PdeG channel over thirty years ago; not a lot of calcium was visible, but then I wasn't looking for it . . .

[@j.macmillan2293]

312 BCE.. kilometres.. Any aqueducts still functioning?

[@MB-nn3jw]

The Romans were excellent engineers, but in particular, their hydro engineering was unsurpassed in my limited opinion.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Hard to beat! Sure there are qanats and aqueducts of the Greeks- but the ubiquity of the aqueducts throughout the Roman Empire is truly amazing.

[@HansDunkelberg1]

Yes, their hydro engineering will have been outstanding for their time - but only for their time. They were not aware of the necessity to allow some stretching and contracting of the conduits due to the shrinking and lengthening caused by temperature changes, or at least had no means of counteracting this problem. The result was, according to L. Sprague de Camp, a constant leaking of the aqueducts, with sinter terraces forming where the water got out.

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

@@HansDunkelberg1 Not to mention the theft of water at various points along the channels . . .

[@HansDunkelberg1]

@@EllieMaes-Grandad Yes, L. Sprague de Camp mentions the thefts too, but such a problem won't reduce the level of the technological achievement. Perhaps it can prove that Roman technologies of _law enforcement_ have been developed less astoundingly. Apart from this, I guess I remember that also such thieves have already used copper pipes and cranes.

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

@@HansDunkelberg1 The level of technological achievement is impressively high - nobody else in antiquity was even remotely as competent. PS you didn't mention syphons for crossing valleys . . .

[@TheDavidlloydjones]

Hod id they work? Gravity. Thank you for asking. Next question, please...

[@joedoe-sedoe7977]

Traveling such great distance at relatively low volume and velocity, one wonders why it didnt evaporate on a hot day before it reached Rome

[@AncientRomeLive]

covered channels!

[@Allannah_Of_Rome]

The Romans also used lead because it was a soft metal and easier to fashion into pipes at the time!

[@user-ff7ji9ud6r]

i subed

[@c-historia]

meraviglioso!

[@BoomVang]

Vitruvius also wrote an essay deducing that lead pipes were unhealthy

[@AncientRomeLive]

Yes there are so many more aspects of aqueducts we will cover- more on Vitruvius and Frontinus.

[@HansDunkelberg1]

Perhaps the Pont du Gard is filled with unusually much calcium residue because it has been used especially long. I think I've read about a use of it until the days of Charlemagne, around AD 800. Perhaps the slaves, who have been of a considerable influence among the Christians, have stopped cleansing the bridge's conduit in the later times.

[@AncientRomeLive]

The gradient flow was extremely low. A famous aspect of this channel.

[@HansDunkelberg1]

@@AncientRomeLive That sounds plausible. Still, also with an especially quick accumulation of residue it should have been possible to clean the thing up. And perhaps neglect has been stronger at such a remote place than with the also long-used Aqua Virgo close to the city of Rome.

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

'Soft' water is low in calcium, so it will depend on sources themselves and the ground over which the water travelled.

[@HansDunkelberg1]

@@EllieMaes-Grandad I do not really understand what you mean.

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

@@HansDunkelberg1 Hard water, soft water - look up calcium deposits in kettles . . .

[@snotnosewilly99]

The Aqueduct at 0:22 appears to be made from concrete, with a facing of stone.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Yes, that portion - in concrete- was "blobbed" onto- as a further stabilizer- the previously existing tuff block construction of the Aqua Claudia.

[@jacksonmeyer-vl2np]

wow!

[@hardsums32]

First, we like your programs very much, but the Roman's did not have decimal or percentages. They used ratio's, as we did ourselves until recently. so we all understand ratio's. Kilometers are also a pain.

[@tony8074]

The Roman aqueduct system was not matched until the Victorian Era.

[@N.SaiSriram]

👍

[@saelind73]

Is this Dario? 😀

[@photographedemode]

🙏

[@AncientRomeLive]

Thank you! We have 2 more videos on aqueducts!

[@bruceburns1672]

Modern Britain today should take note of the Roman Empire, Britain sees itself today as part of the modern world, but sadly their industrial base has collapsed which used to finance the modern economy hence like America as well they now are at the borrowing stage to continue giving themselves the modern economy which they feel they are entitled too, they should all look to what happened to ancient Rome and think twice and get back to work and produce the wealth necessary to finance a modern state or become like Rome .

[@MySamurai77]

Maybe lead isn't the best choice to pipe you water.

[@AncientRomeLive]

Haha- but as noted, it was coated in calcium- so lead poisoning wasn't an issue..

[@MySamurai77]

@@AncientRomeLive Did they even know what lead poisoning was back then i wonder?

[@AncientRomeLive]

@@MySamurai77 Yes, indeed. Vitruvius mentions this fact. It was well known that those that poured the molten lead into sheets to be rolled and soldered into pipes got sick from the fumes.

[@cjyoung4080]

yummy. Lead water.

[@wadevictor]

Fascinating so it was against the law to expose rubbish to the water where did the waste go obvious a lasting system would have been in place👁️👁️

[@Blackadder75]

the romans also had the cloaca maxima. aka the big sewer. it would collect the waste water and I guess dump it in the river

[@AncientRomeLive]

For Rome, the gravity flow system concluded with the Tiber. For each city it was different, but culminating with a river was pretty standard. Otherwise, the sea.

[@matacabrones4317]

the "groma" was nothing more than a ceremonial instrument. The "chorobates" had only one central leg. And you didn't talk at all about siphons, widely used by the romans to cross valleys, much more numerous and cheaper than aqueduct arcs

[@AncientRomeLive]

Not sure about it only being ceremonial... Yes, there is more to discuss on aqueducts- including the siphon systems.. In the next in the series!

[@matacabrones4317]

@@AncientRomeLive yes, it was ceremonial, only used to trace the Cardus and Decumanus kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmiqf3R6gLR2a5Y kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHalaWCrpd1krtU

[@chomocharlie3997]

8:24, Did the Romans suffer lead poisoning?

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

I've seen mention in literature that they did. Presumably determined from bone analysis of skeletons, not that they'd have known much about the problem back then.

[@fabiana.4640]

They probably suffered much more lead poisoning by the use of adding lead acetate to wine than from the plumbing system

[@golgumbazguide...4113]

Explore

[@user-ff7ji9ud6r]

i love u ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@jamesgrossman9955]

Gravity!

[@1962recon]

The short answer is gravity.

[@peterjohnson617]

gravity

[@Slo-ryde]

These are majestic structures, but they were also easy targets for the barbarians invading the empire, and surrounding a city fed by aqueducts… all they had to do is dislodge the flow by busting up the conduit in a small place….. and viola, no water for the town!!!

[@AncientRomeLive]

Exactly! They were made when Rome provided the security!

[@eastcoastsailingcenter7768]

Aliens built it .. graham hancock

[@petrusinvictus3603]

Sorry, wrong video.

[@user-bt9xd7ix3p]

Интересно узнать как древние узнавали или вичесляли пад водяного столба ??? ... Ау-у-у-у-у-у, гидроинженьори-и-и-и-и !!! ...

[@2cartalkers]

Gravity.

[@oreilly1237878]

But they arent Roman.They come from their predecessors.

[@gbae636]

What??

[@IrishCinnsealach]

The first aqueduct was built in 312 BC, and supplied a water fountain at the city's cattle market. By the 3rd century AD, the city had eleven aqueducts, sustaining a population of over a million in a water-extravagant economy; most of the water supplied the city's many public baths

[@benquinneyiii7941]

Buildup

[@nobodythatyouknow241]

Water runs down hill. That's how they work.