the.com/aqueduct
Rome's water highways ran on gravity alone, sloping a few inches per mile to perfection.
means A channel or bridge-like structure built to carry water across distances, often over valleys or low ground, from a source to where it's needed.
from From the Latin 'aqua' (water) joined to 'ductus' (a leading or conducting), from 'ducere,' to lead — so literally a 'leading of water.' The same 'ducere' fathered a whole family: 'conduct,' 'duct,' 'aqueduct's' watery sibling 'viaduct' (a leading of the way).
- still standing
- Segovia's aqueduct held water until the 1970s
- no mortar
- Stones stay stacked by gravity and friction
- daily haul
- Rome delivered over a million cubic meters daily
- slow drop
- Some sloped just 34 centimeters per kilometer
- underground
- Most ran hidden below ground, not arches
pont du gard — roman aqueduct in southern france, 160 feet high, built around 50 ad to carry water 31 miles
aqua claudia — ancient roman aqueduct completed in 52 ad, supplied 44% of rome's water across 45 miles
california aqueduct — modern 444-mile system built 1968-1972, carries water from northern california to los angeles and san diego