Ponder this...🤔 Massive Roman aqueduct built in Segovia, Spain by emperor Trajan (r. 98-117 CE). Historically, humans formed settlements near major waterways and rivers to ensure they had a plentiful supply. However, in Ancient Rome, they created a way to transport water from its source and into their cities. Roman aqueducts used a combination of their strong concrete, formed in their trademark arch designs, to transport water in lead pipes from rivers and freshwater lakes right to their city centers. These epic engineering achievements were originally inspired by channels from designs in Ancient Egypt and Inda, but the Romans took it, ran with it, and expanded it. In addition to their road network, they constructed an extensive aqueduct system around their empire. The iconic aqueduct bridges still exist around Europe, but these were only a small part of their thousands of miles long aqueduct network. Rome alone had 11 different aqueduct systems providing the empire’s capital with fresh water. It came from sources 57 miles away. Aqua Virgo, a 21-mile extensive aqueduct system, is still functional in the Italian capital today. Agrippa constructed it in 19 BC. Even though it no longer supplies Rome with pure drinking water, it supplies the water for the famous fountains dotted around the city’s historical areas, including the Trevi fountain. The invention of a steady flow of water was ground-breaking for its day. Every time we turn on a faucet, we draw from Ancient Rome’s innovations. #architecturehistory #romanarchitecture #Architecturestudent #architecture #aquaduct #romanaquaduct Follow @littleprincejs 👑 https://www.instagram.com/p/CjMdAqXuV6R/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=