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The Ancient Romans constructed numerous aqueducts to supply water to cities and industrial sites. These Aqueduct s were among the greatest engineering feats of the ancient world, and set a standard not equalled for over a thousand years after the Fall Of Rome . Many cities still maintain and use the ancient aqueducts for their water supply even today. The Romans typically built aqueducts to serve any large city in their Empire . The city of Rome itself, being the largest city, had the largest concentration of aqueducts, with water being supplied by eleven aqueducts constructed over a period of 500 years. ENGINEERING The combined length of the aqueducts in the city of Rome was nearly 260 miles (416 km). However, only 29 miles (47 km) were above ground, as most Roman aqueducts ran beneath the surface of the ground. Building underground helped to keep the water free from disease (the carcasses of animals would not be able to get into the aqueduct) and helped protect the aqueducts from enemy attack. The longest Roman aqueduct, the Aqueduct Of Hadrian , is 87 miles (141 km) in length. It was built in the 2nd Century to supply Carthage (in modern Tunisia ). Roman aqueducts were extremely sophisticated constructions. They were built to remarkably fine tolerances, and of a technological standard that had a , they transported very large amounts of water very efficiently (the Pont Du Gard carried 20,000 cubic meters {nearly 6 million gallons} a day and the combined aqueducts of the city of Rome supplied around 1 million cubic meters (300 million gallons) a day (an accomplishment not equalled until the late 19th century). Sometimes, where depressions deeper than 50 m had to be crossed, gravity pressurised pipelines called Inverted Siphon s were used to force water uphill (although they almost always used venter bridges as well). Modern Hydraulic Engineers use similar techniques to enable Sewer s and water pipes to cross depressions. , Germany, built in 80 , showing the Calcium Carbonate that accretes on the sides of the channel without regular maintenance.]] In addition to the expertise needed to build them, Roman aqueducts required a comprehensive system of regular maintenance to repair accidental breaches, to clear the lines of debris, and to remove buildup of chemicals such as Calcium Carbonate that naturally occur in the water. CONSTRUCTION Many tools were used in the construction of the aqueduct. An example of this is the chrobate. The chrobate was used to level terrain before construction. It was a wooden object supported by four legs with a flat board on top; in which was ingraved a half circle. When used the half circle was filled with water and the angle at which there was no water was measured. Another tool used in the construction of the aqueduct was the groma. Gromas were used to measure right angles. A groma consisted of stones hanging off four sticks perpendicular to one another. Distant objects could be marked out against the station of the stones in a horizontal plane. DECLINE OF THE AQUEDUCTS With the Fall Of The Roman Empire , although some of the aqueducts were deliberately cut by enemies, many more fell into disuse from the lack of an organized maintenance system. The lack of functioning aqueducts to deliver water had a large practical impact in reducing the population of the city of Rome from its high of over 1 million in ancient times to considerably less in the Medieval era. LIST OF ROMAN AQUEDUCTS Aqueducts in the city of Rome In order to meet the massive water needs of its huge population, the city of Rome itself was supplied with 11 aqueducts. Their combined capacity was capable of supplying at least 1,127,220 cubic meters (nearly 300 million gallons) of water to the city each day. Detailed statistics for the city's aqueducts were logged around 97 by Sextus Julius Frontinus , the ''curator aquarum'' (superintendent of the aqueducts) for Rome during the reign of Nerva . Less information is known about aqueducts built after Frontinus. Other locations , Spain . Roman aqueduct.]] , Istanbul , Turkey ]] The Romans built aqueducts in most sufficiently large cities in the Empire. Their remains (in some cases still functioning) may be found today in many places, including:
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