Today the average person in the UK is largely unaware of the importance of plumbing technology, normally taking for granted a high pressure shower and a modern flushed toilet. It is rare that someone in the modern world takes the time to learn about the way plumbing technology has advanced or the history of plumbing in general. This history is interesting and offers some surprising outcomes.
It was largely during the centuries when Greeks and the Romans ruled the known world that plumbing systems made their way into urban settings. The Greeks and Romans used plumbing to take clean water to the cities and houses and dirty water away from public bathing houses which was done mostly via a network of aqueducts during the Romans' rule. In fact, the Roman way of aqueducts and lead piping was considered sufficient until the nineteenth century when underground piping systems took the place of the aqueduct system.
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.
The bath houses that were popular during the Roman Empire were the real driver behind modern western plumbing calling for technical solutions from the ancient engineers. When the bath houses were first used and plumbing had not yet fully developed, the water in the public bath houses was only changed once a day and people bathed only while the sun was out. This is because bacteria had not yet been discovered and Romans had not yet learned how diseases and infections were spread. Sanitation had not yet evolved and a single change of water was considered efficient for that time's hygienic standards.
Perhaps more important than the public baths and aqueducts, though, is the evolution of the modern toilet. The toilet that is so familiar to the modern western world was first invented around 2800 BC in Mohenjo-Darco and was made from a seat placed upon a pile of bricks. In those times only the highest class of society was allowed to use the toilet. It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that the western world adopted the sit-down toilet that was popular with the ancient Romans.
As the western world adopted the plumbing and toilet structures that were invented in Roman times the technology surrounding the systems exploded in volume and size. In less than one hundred years the western world helped toilets and plumbing fixtures advance from aqueducts and sit down holes to the sophisticated and technically complex modern marvels that western people now take for granted.
Today pipes and plumbing fixtures are mostly located underground and the sewage drains and cesspools of ancient times have been almost completely eradicated and replaced. As technology continues to advance, the cleanliness and efficiency of plumbing and toilets will become more efficient and clean. - 16955
It was largely during the centuries when Greeks and the Romans ruled the known world that plumbing systems made their way into urban settings. The Greeks and Romans used plumbing to take clean water to the cities and houses and dirty water away from public bathing houses which was done mostly via a network of aqueducts during the Romans' rule. In fact, the Roman way of aqueducts and lead piping was considered sufficient until the nineteenth century when underground piping systems took the place of the aqueduct system.
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.
The bath houses that were popular during the Roman Empire were the real driver behind modern western plumbing calling for technical solutions from the ancient engineers. When the bath houses were first used and plumbing had not yet fully developed, the water in the public bath houses was only changed once a day and people bathed only while the sun was out. This is because bacteria had not yet been discovered and Romans had not yet learned how diseases and infections were spread. Sanitation had not yet evolved and a single change of water was considered efficient for that time's hygienic standards.
Perhaps more important than the public baths and aqueducts, though, is the evolution of the modern toilet. The toilet that is so familiar to the modern western world was first invented around 2800 BC in Mohenjo-Darco and was made from a seat placed upon a pile of bricks. In those times only the highest class of society was allowed to use the toilet. It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that the western world adopted the sit-down toilet that was popular with the ancient Romans.
As the western world adopted the plumbing and toilet structures that were invented in Roman times the technology surrounding the systems exploded in volume and size. In less than one hundred years the western world helped toilets and plumbing fixtures advance from aqueducts and sit down holes to the sophisticated and technically complex modern marvels that western people now take for granted.
Today pipes and plumbing fixtures are mostly located underground and the sewage drains and cesspools of ancient times have been almost completely eradicated and replaced. As technology continues to advance, the cleanliness and efficiency of plumbing and toilets will become more efficient and clean. - 16955
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.
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