To understand the impact that ancient and modern municipal water systems have on the quality of life

1. The following resources are available at this website:
   • description of ancient Rome's water with a discussion of its impact on the quality of life
   • slideshow illustrating some of the structures built by Roman water engineers
   • description of water systems and structures at various locations around the empire: present-day Nimes (France) and Aspendos (Turkey)
   • short biography of the Roman water commissioner Sextus Julius Frontinus
2. Suggested additional reading:
   • Smith, Norman, 1978. "Roman Hydraulic Technology,:Scientific American, 238:154-161

Discuss Frontinus's statement about the aqueducts of Rome: "...with such an array of indispensible structures carrying so many waters, compare if you will, the idle Pyramids or the useless, though famous work of the Greeks."

List the pluses and minuses of ancient Roman water supply systems

Pluses:

• Large quantities of water
• Understood the need for unpolluted water sources
• Structures were well engineered
• Surplus water helped flushed their urban drains

Minuses:

• Not a lot of water storage
• Few abodes had running water; for most, water had to be carried from a nearby (?) fountain
• Taps/faucets were rarely used

Compare to contemporary municipal water systems

Contemporary water systems have:

• Enough storage to meet daily fluctuations in demand
• Water treatment plants
• Pressure pipes
• Connections to individual homes, apartments, etc.
• Water supplied on demand from a tap/faucet

Ancient Roman systems

• The lack of individual connections tended to encourage Romans to spend more time outside their abodes, in the streets and entertainment centers of Rome.