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The Ancient Romans built many things that we use everyday. They created a basis of the
major inventions you see today. The road you drive on originated from the Greeks and how they
built dirt paths to move on. One of the biggest invention that led to many new ideas was the
aqueduct. This led to new ways of trade and transportation was made easier. One of the most
popular aqueducts was the Aqueduct of Segovia. It gives character and popularity to the region
The aqueduct of Segovia was built later in the 1st century AD. It moved water from the
Frio River into the city until the 20th century. Now, it still remains there today and is currently
28.5 meters tall, and is adjusted to fit around the landscape in the region such as the mountains
and hills. The arches are made of stone brick molded together and alternate in height according
to the land in the area. The aqueduct was taken into reconstruction around the 15th or 16th century.
Since it still remains today, it gives a sense of character to the city. Its a key to the history
of the region and the Romans cultures. It is a representation of the expansion of the Roman
Empire and the engineering skills of their lifestyle. The aqueduct of Segovia isnt the only one
that allows this however. There are many that still stand and give tourists another spot on the
map to stop at. It follows along with Roman traditions with the large arches and stone accents. It
wraps around like the colosseums that they built and used the same methods of building. They
line the roads and historic building along the city. (1)
Aqueducts are built with a combination of stone, brick, and a special cement that is used
as a glue for the bricks. They were originally built to carry water to areas of land that were dry
and needed ever use of water. Without this invention, it would have been impossible to have
good crops and fertile land. These waterways held the majority of water in the city and were also
used for the Ancient Roman baths. The first aqueduct ever made was in 312 BC called Aqua
Appia. It stretched almost 59 miles away and reached far down the city. The last aqueduct that
was built was the Aqua Alexandria in 226 AD. By the time of the Renaissance, aqueducts were
able to deliver 1 cubic meter of water per person in the city. (2)
Without aqueducts, the Roman would not have been able to build the big cities and
civilizations that they did. With aqueducts, it allowed them to have their own use of water for
drinking, baths, and plantations. If everyone used the same source of water in Rome, it would
become easy for the water to become polluted and contaminated. Aqueducts led to many ideas
such as pipes and a sewage system that also gave the cleanliness to their cities. The building of
these took many years and drawn out thoughts. Vitruvius wrote ten books on architecture and the
finding of water. He gave a lot of advice that can still be used today by many ecologists. (3)
These aqueducts were not always the easiest however. A lot of the times, there would be
steam coming out of the rivers and that would cause a problem that would make them not be able
to use it. They often got muddy and messy after big storms or the wells that were underground.
They could clean the water up by using it for irrigation and crops. The hardest waters to find
were the clean springs. This is because most of it laid underground. They needed a certain
technique that allowed them to find it and use it in their city. The water would sometimes bubble
up from the soil and showed them where to dig. Most of the times, however they would have to
In conclusion, aqueducts were very crucial and essential for the Romans survival. The
aqueduct in Segovia still stands today even after thousands of years. The building of these led to
many techniques that are still used today. Without this invention, it would not have been possible
1 https://www.wmf.org/project/aqueduct-segovia
2 http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-aqueducts.php
3 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/roman-aqueducts.html