In present times most residents of the United Kingdom take properly working plumbing systems for granted. Most do not take the time to think about the history of plumbing or the way plumbing technology has evolved over time. Plumbing has a long and interesting history: a history that is worth exploring.
It was during the Greek and Roman empires that plumbing technology first started to evolve. Basic plumbing systems were invented and installed during these empires' rule to make it easier to carry water to and from the public bathing houses that were so popular. It was this necessity that lead to the invention of the aqueduct during the Roman Empire. The aqueduct was the primary mode of plumbing and water distribution from the Roman Empire until the 1800s.
Pipes were constructed mostly from lead during ancient times and aqueducts were pieced together from stone and clay. However, this is no longer the case in modern times. Today, steel, brass, copper and plastic are the most popular building materials for plumbing and piping systems. Lead is no longer used to make pipes because the toxicity of lead is considered to be too high.
It is largely because of the Roman bath houses that western plumbing exists in its current form. When the bath houses were first constructed bathing happened during the daylight hours only because the water in the baths was changed no more than once a day. It is important to remember that the Romans did not know about bacteria or how disease was truly spread. For ancient Romans, a single change of bathwater each day was all they thought was necessary.
The modern toilet, another staple of modern plumbing systems in the western world, is also derived from ancient times. The western toilet is largely based upon the toilets used in Mohenjo-Darco as long ago as 2800BC. These toilets were made from a wooden seat that was placed on top of a brick pile. In 2800BC only the richest citizens were allowed to use these toilets. It took as long as the middle of the 1800s for the sit down toilet that was so celebrated in ancient Rome to be adopted by western societies.
Once the western world had adopted the sit down toilets and aqueduct structures of the Roman Empire, the plumbing technology surrounding them expanded very quickly. Within one hundred years, plumbing technology and toilets have gone from the aqueducts of the Roman Empire to the modern efficiencies that most citizens in the United Kingdom take for granted these days.
Today plumbing technology places pipes underground and the open sewage drains and cesspools associated with the aqueducts are mostly gone. Plumbing technology, along with the other marvels of the modern world, continues to increase in cleanliness and efficiency. - 15431
It was during the Greek and Roman empires that plumbing technology first started to evolve. Basic plumbing systems were invented and installed during these empires' rule to make it easier to carry water to and from the public bathing houses that were so popular. It was this necessity that lead to the invention of the aqueduct during the Roman Empire. The aqueduct was the primary mode of plumbing and water distribution from the Roman Empire until the 1800s.
Pipes were constructed mostly from lead during ancient times and aqueducts were pieced together from stone and clay. However, this is no longer the case in modern times. Today, steel, brass, copper and plastic are the most popular building materials for plumbing and piping systems. Lead is no longer used to make pipes because the toxicity of lead is considered to be too high.
It is largely because of the Roman bath houses that western plumbing exists in its current form. When the bath houses were first constructed bathing happened during the daylight hours only because the water in the baths was changed no more than once a day. It is important to remember that the Romans did not know about bacteria or how disease was truly spread. For ancient Romans, a single change of bathwater each day was all they thought was necessary.
The modern toilet, another staple of modern plumbing systems in the western world, is also derived from ancient times. The western toilet is largely based upon the toilets used in Mohenjo-Darco as long ago as 2800BC. These toilets were made from a wooden seat that was placed on top of a brick pile. In 2800BC only the richest citizens were allowed to use these toilets. It took as long as the middle of the 1800s for the sit down toilet that was so celebrated in ancient Rome to be adopted by western societies.
Once the western world had adopted the sit down toilets and aqueduct structures of the Roman Empire, the plumbing technology surrounding them expanded very quickly. Within one hundred years, plumbing technology and toilets have gone from the aqueducts of the Roman Empire to the modern efficiencies that most citizens in the United Kingdom take for granted these days.
Today plumbing technology places pipes underground and the open sewage drains and cesspools associated with the aqueducts are mostly gone. Plumbing technology, along with the other marvels of the modern world, continues to increase in cleanliness and efficiency. - 15431
About the Author:
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boilers, central heating, Catford plumbers, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.
