Aqua Marcia – The Great Roman Aqueduct
Most people know the Romans were great engineers. The roads and buildings they built survive today as monuments to that skill. But the list of Roman engineering feats is not complete without mentioning the aqueducts, which combined beauty and functionality with engineering skill.
In the earliest days of Rome, drinking water was obtained from wells or the Tiber River, but it wasn’t long before the Tiber became polluted. To solve this problem, the Romans decided to build aqueducts to transport fresh water from mountain springs to the city. The first, named Aqua Appia, was constructed in 312 B.C., but the Aqua Marcia stands as the greatest of the Roman aqueducts.