“Roman engineers built an aqueduct through more than 100 kilometers of stone to connect water to cities in the ancient province of Syria [modern Jordan]. The monumental effort took more than a century, says the German researcher who discovered it.”
So reported Spiegel Online last week.
“When the Romans weren’t busy conquering their enemies, they loved to waste massive quantities of water, which gurgled and bubbled throughout their cities. The engineers of the empire invented standardized lead pipes, aqueducts as high as fortresses, and water mains with 15 bars (217 pounds per square inch) of pressure.
“In the capital alone there were thousands of fountains, drinking troughs and thermal baths. Rich senators refreshed themselves in private pools and decorated their gardens with cooling grottos. The result was a record daily consumption of over 500 liters of water per capita (Germans today use around 125 liters).
“In the former Roman province of Syria (located in modern day Jordan), researchers are currently studying a sensational canal system. It extends mostly underground over a distance of 106 kilometers (66 miles)….The longest previously known underground water channel of the antique world — in Bologna — is only 19 kilometers long.”