How did Roman Aqueducts work?

The aqueducts were awesome manifestations of the Roman knack for practical engineering on a monumental scale. This video explores how they were constructed and used.
I'd like to thank Woosh Pipe and Drain of New York City for sponsoring this video.
Please consider supporting toldinstone on Patreon:
/ toldinstone
If you liked this video, you might also enjoy my book “Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans.”
www.amazon.com/Naked-Statues-...
If you're so inclined, you can follow me elsewhere on the web:
/ toldinstone
/ toldinstone
/ 20993845.garrett_ryan
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:37 Building an aqueduct
3:18 Bridges, siphons, and tunnels
4:52 Distribution networks
6:59 Private connections
7:48 Maintenance
8:36 Exceptional aqueducts
Thanks for watching!

Пікірлер: 1 400

  • @fritz404
    @fritz4042 жыл бұрын

    I love water

  • @dharmapersona2084

    @dharmapersona2084

    2 жыл бұрын

    dont we all

  • @Aya-ev2uw

    @Aya-ev2uw

    2 жыл бұрын

    Honestly..... same

  • @ironwillACNH

    @ironwillACNH

    2 жыл бұрын

    It's ok

  • @BadVideoWatcher1

    @BadVideoWatcher1

    2 жыл бұрын

    Big fan of water, don't think I could live without it

  • @disrespectthemwomensubjuga5471

    @disrespectthemwomensubjuga5471

    2 жыл бұрын

    I personally think it is overrated, but hay it is what it is!

  • @davidpanton3192
    @davidpanton31922 жыл бұрын

    Thanks. I've always wondered how they managed the descent without instruments. Answer: they had instruments.

  • @billrobinson198

    @billrobinson198

    2 жыл бұрын

    Or, you can build a little and let in some water to see if your level is correct, then build a little more and let in more water to see if your level is correct. And repeat.

  • @johnmiller8975

    @johnmiller8975

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@billrobinson198 or use a wooden mock up since trial and error is VERY expensive

  • @Jake007123

    @Jake007123

    2 жыл бұрын

    What a weird idea to think they had no instruments, since our species has been using tools since before our last evolutionary step the Homo Sapiens :P

  • @davidpanton3192

    @davidpanton3192

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Jake007123 There's no need for rudeness.

  • @Jake007123

    @Jake007123

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@davidpanton3192 sorry if it came out strong, wasnt my intention

  • @BlastedRodent
    @BlastedRodent2 жыл бұрын

    Imagine being a barbarian from the north who travels to Rome to work as a mercenary. All your life, all you knew was a village society where bathing is done in the local lake, houses are made of wood and straw, and the goats sleep in the living room with you. Now imagine encountering this level of technology. Fountains, baths, multi-storey buildings. It must have felt like being a time traveller.

  • @charlie-obrien

    @charlie-obrien

    Жыл бұрын

    Imagine being a barbarian a few hundred years after the fall of Rome and your conditions have returned to the mud hut, goat based technology of the past? Now imagine life in America in a few hundred years if we allow the barbarians to rise up again? It's our choice. Let's hope we choose better than the Romans did.

  • @exodia_right_leg

    @exodia_right_leg

    Жыл бұрын

    @@charlie-obrien Glad to see a fellow climate change activist in the comment section

  • @pharaongaming8617

    @pharaongaming8617

    Жыл бұрын

    It's like Afghanistan and US in modern days lol

  • @kneegerman2076

    @kneegerman2076

    Жыл бұрын

    Just take some tribal people from African or Amazonian tribes and put them in big cities

  • @Luke-tt3dt

    @Luke-tt3dt

    Жыл бұрын

    @@pharaongaming8617 They don't call Afghanistan the 'graveyard of empires' for nothing

  • @ccoder4953
    @ccoder49532 жыл бұрын

    Funny thing about the lead pipes is we used lead pipes even in relatively modern times. Flint Michigan rather infamously had them. And they weren't really a problem as long as the PH and mineral content of the water was controlled properly. If the PH is right, the minerals form a stable coating over the lead so very little of the lead is even in contact with the water. But if the PH is wrong, the minerals can be stripped off and the lead will leach into the water. That's what happened in Flint Michigan - the water municipality changed water sources, mismanaged the water treatment of the new source, and stripped off the mineral coating, causing lead contamination of the water supply.

  • @cloud9935

    @cloud9935

    2 жыл бұрын

    haha i went down to say the same thing. Pipes stay clean by getting dirty. love it

  • @TheDanEdwards

    @TheDanEdwards

    2 жыл бұрын

    Nice try at shifting the blame (in regards to Flint Michigan). Lead is always bad. First it has to be mined (pollution on top of being toxic), melted (toxic), worked (toxic), and maintained (toxic.) The only reason we humans started using it is because it was easy.

  • @cloud9935

    @cloud9935

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@TheDanEdwards yeah but like so is pvc and we still use that Actually like so many things I install on the daily are like that. It's fuckin depressing man.

  • @cretchboc

    @cretchboc

    2 жыл бұрын

    Lead pipes exist in distribution systems in almost all modern cities towns and in abundance. The flow of the water keeps the lead from leeching. Copper and pvc and standard now but many of the old lead exist. Believe me I work in water distribution

  • @thomas316

    @thomas316

    2 жыл бұрын

    The area I lived in England is all lead water pipes from the Victorian era. Would likely have been fine but I didn't have that many IQ points spare to begin with! 😆

  • @nimbledick9869
    @nimbledick98692 жыл бұрын

    An outflow sewer from a Roman Bath was discovered under the street in my hometown, they found some really interesting things in there. Dice, game pieces ( a full set of Ludus latrunculorum pieces I think), amulets, charms etc. funny to think of a couple of soldiers playing a game of Ludus latrunculorum in the bath and someone losing and throwing the pieces down a drain in a fit of spiteful rage.

  • @frequentlycynical642

    @frequentlycynical642

    2 жыл бұрын

    And, where, what is your hometown? Sheesh.....

  • @nimbledick9869

    @nimbledick9869

    2 жыл бұрын

    ​@@frequentlycynical642 York UK, Church Street Roman Sewer if you want to google it

  • @ValeriePallaoro

    @ValeriePallaoro

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@frequentlycynical642 I know you're name befits you, but .. even I picked that it would be somewhere in England ..

  • @ValeriePallaoro

    @ValeriePallaoro

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@nimbledick9869 Good to know. Nice bit of info. Until this video I never even thought about outflow (my bad)

  • @vardogor

    @vardogor

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@frequentlycynical642 you seem great to be around 😭

  • @wooshpipeanddrainco.2606
    @wooshpipeanddrainco.26062 жыл бұрын

    Another great video. I imagine the effort it took to explain the idea of an aqueduct before it existed. And once fountains were mentioned, everyone got on board.

  • @toldinstone

    @toldinstone

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yes, I imagine that first sale pitch was pretty tough... Thanks again for sponsoring!

  • @notty1772

    @notty1772

    2 жыл бұрын

    First time i See tipping on KZread!

  • @Ass_of_Amalek

    @Ass_of_Amalek

    2 жыл бұрын

    woosh!

  • @macbrown99

    @macbrown99

    Жыл бұрын

    I thought the sponsorship was a joke. Guess I'm too used to every sponsorship being RAID: Shadow Legends or NordVPN. WOOSH

  • @squidinkRC

    @squidinkRC

    Жыл бұрын

    Crazy to see a local ad engrained in a KZread video seen across the world!

  • @andyroo9381
    @andyroo93812 жыл бұрын

    I vacationed in Madrid, Spain a few years ago. Took a daytrip to Segovia just to see the aqueduct there. AMAZING! It was the highlight of my entire trip. It was so huge and towering. It is a stunning piece of engineering that still stands to this day. My first time to see a Roman aqueduct and I won't ever forget it. It left me speechless.

  • @whatsmyname2588

    @whatsmyname2588

    2 жыл бұрын

    thank you for this advice :D I am going to Madrid in two weeks so now I must see it.

  • @andyroo9381

    @andyroo9381

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@whatsmyname2588 You're so lucky! Spain is such a great country. The locals are just plain beautiful! Nice skin, great hair, handsome, pretty, well-dressed, well-mannered. I felt like I was walking amongst polite society. I also took a daytrip to Toledo and Cuenca. Cuenca turned out to be a bust because they were celebrating a holiday and the entire town just shut down! I had no idea about this holiday and it all turned out to be a wasted day for me. Toledo was quite interesting. It's everything that an ancient town should look like. Have the best time of your life!!!

  • @patrickcarpinelli3475

    @patrickcarpinelli3475

    Жыл бұрын

    I stayed in Segovia for a MONTH it was so cool

  • @fredyair1
    @fredyair12 жыл бұрын

    A couple of days ago I finished reading “Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants", very informative and a dig into the daily life of emperors and peasants, artisans and slaves and everyone in between. Highly recommended for all history lovers.

  • @tragedician
    @tragedician Жыл бұрын

    Your research and insights are impressive. I lived in Italy for several years. Watching your videos takes me back. Grazie mille! The park of the aqueducts in Rome is a must see. Incredible what the Roman engineers accomplished 2,000 years ago. Your channel is one of the best about classical history. Please keep up the content. Bravissimo!

  • @musamusashi
    @musamusashi Жыл бұрын

    Born and grown up in Rome, one of the most unique features of the 'Eternal City", is the never stopping sound of flowing water from fountains and "fontanelle" the bronze drinking posts also known as "nasone" (big nose) for its characteristic curved tap.

  • @frankgordon8829

    @frankgordon8829

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm surprised they still use those & the water is clean enough to drink. Been to Rome several times & see those drinking faucets all over with people not only filling bottles, but actually putting their hand or even mouth to it & drinking from it.

  • @musamusashi

    @musamusashi

    Жыл бұрын

    @@frankgordon8829 the water that comes from the nasoni as well as any tap, is controlled by the municipality and comes from different sources through a network of both old and (relatively) new underground aqueducts. No above ground aqueduct is in use to my knowledge. Ditto for the sewage system, that has at its core the ancient cloaca maxima, that has seen two millennia of sh*t passing by.

  • @mowtow90

    @mowtow90

    5 ай бұрын

    @@musamusashi I think they still use some of the old aqueducts for the decorative fountants (non drinking) like the one in the video.

  • @musamusashi

    @musamusashi

    5 ай бұрын

    @@mowtow90 yes, the old system has been expanded and integrated with newer elements over the centuries, but never totally replaced.

  • @majorfallacy5926
    @majorfallacy59262 жыл бұрын

    i love plumbing videos being sponsored by a history interested local plumber, even though i live on the other side of the world. We still get some of our water from roman aqueducts, maybe steve should open a european aqueduct maintenance subsidiary?

  • @wonniewarrior

    @wonniewarrior

    2 жыл бұрын

    I wonder if Steve from Whoosh will do house visits to Australia ?

  • @thomas316

    @thomas316

    2 жыл бұрын

    Build your own aquaduct at home. ...to compliment the Roman baths you'll build next. 🤔

  • @johnladuke6475

    @johnladuke6475

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@thomas316 Well I won't be building them _personally._ Obviously I'll have my slaves do that part.

  • @believeinjesus6972

    @believeinjesus6972

    2 жыл бұрын

    Repent to Jesus Christ “Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty- he is the King of glory.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭24:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬ J

  • @jpvansplunder
    @jpvansplunder2 жыл бұрын

    This is actually very helpful. In some past videos I heard you talking about how some aquaducts are still in use today (or very recently). But up until this point, I was always waiting for my favourite calm voice to explain the works of it.

  • @TonyBongo869
    @TonyBongo8692 жыл бұрын

    I expect that there were travelling aqueduct builders who moved around the empire, going from gig to gig as a local city hired them to build their aqueduct, much like pipeline engineers (yours truly) might do today

  • @toldinstone

    @toldinstone

    2 жыл бұрын

    Military-trained engineers were in high demand, and were sometimes recruited by cities for aqueduct construction.

  • @TonyBongo869

    @TonyBongo869

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@toldinstone I really enjoyed the book “Roman Aqueducts & Water Supply” by A. Trevor Hodge, I re-read it every few years. Like how they proved that the aqueduct work was broken out on a mile basis (a new crew every mile) because a slope error would creep into the works but would be corrected every mile.

  • @yippee8570

    @yippee8570

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@TonyBongo869 I'm going to look that book up

  • @mm-yt8sf

    @mm-yt8sf

    2 жыл бұрын

    i was imagining that "monorail" salesman from the simpsons :-)

  • @TonyBongo869

    @TonyBongo869

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@mm-yt8sf not far from the truth, towns with an aqueduct and baths would have more prestige than towns without, in fact I’m working on a monorail project ( Skytrain) right now!

  • @jpotter2086
    @jpotter20862 жыл бұрын

    Most awesome sponsor ever LOL

  • @AxR558
    @AxR558 Жыл бұрын

    I always found it interesting that the words we use for pipework and those that install it (plumbing/plumber), have their roots in the Latin word for lead (plumbum) due to ancient pipework being made from lead. It's also why lead is listed as Pb on the periodic table.

  • @bobdinitto
    @bobdinitto2 жыл бұрын

    Harnessing water is a fundamental pillar of human civilization. It's amazing to see how technologically sophisticated the Roman engineers were in constructing such an intricate and substantial network of aqueducts.

  • @unclescipio3136
    @unclescipio3136 Жыл бұрын

    Everyone always oohs and aahs about the Egyptian pyramids, but Roman hydraulic engineering is really the GOAT of the ancient world.

  • @automaticmattywhack1470
    @automaticmattywhack14702 жыл бұрын

    I've got tons of questions. I'll try to limit myself to a few. Did any springs stop flowing during Roman times rendering an aqueduct useless? Do we know if any diseases or plagues were traced to an aqueduct during ancient times? How many of the aqueducts are still fully functional and how many are partially functional?

  • @toldinstone

    @toldinstone

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yes, springs sometimes dried up; the usual solution was to drive tunnels into the surrounding hillsides to tap the aquifer at a deeper level. The Romans regarded the water of certain aqueducts - especially the Aqua Alsietina - as unhealthy, but I'm not aware of any aqueduct being associated with a specific plague. Besides a few of Rome's aqueducts, the only ones that come to mind as being functional in recent times are the examples at Segovia and Istanbul (both of which were restored in the early modern era).

  • @automaticmattywhack1470

    @automaticmattywhack1470

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@toldinstone thanks for another fun, informative video! You're knowledge of Roman minutiae boggles my mind.

  • @degustablegerbil

    @degustablegerbil

    2 жыл бұрын

    As someone who spent his childhood visiting my grandparents in Provence, I have to mention the Pont du Gard, an incredibly well preserved multi-tiered aqueduct

  • @yippee8570

    @yippee8570

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@degustablegerbil I wrote an essay about that once, when I briefly studied engineering, before realising that it was the history of engineering that fascinated me, not engineering itself

  • @johnmiller8975

    @johnmiller8975

    2 жыл бұрын

    Aqueducts did not start plagues because they did not draw from polluted water (Cholera) or stand idle (Malaria) there were sources that were not terribly healthy (Aliestina). here is the wikipedia article on revived roman sourced (they were all cut in the 9th century) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acqua_Vergine I posted a link to Vitruvius as a as a stand alone post he's the true authority

  • @robbabcock_
    @robbabcock_2 жыл бұрын

    Great video! The sophisticated of Roman civil engineering was stunning! In some respects we hardly do better today. Their bridges, arches and aqueducts are amazing works of cunning and skill. Apropos of nothing I appreciate the way you choose sponsors that feel relevant to the topic at hand!

  • @TheSymsky
    @TheSymsky2 жыл бұрын

    I lived for three years in Montpellier, very nearby to Nimes and the triple-arched aqueduct that you showed, there's one still running through the city, emerging from a center-town hill, and illuminated with the french colors at night. It's incredibly dwarfing, beautiful, and I was always impressed that "ancient romans" were able to accomplish such technological and engineering marvels........ then I learnt that it was built in the 17-18 hundreds :(

  • @rexmundi3108
    @rexmundi31082 жыл бұрын

    The thing that has always impressed me is that the fountains were pressure relief valves. Nice valves. Now I have siphon tanks to consider. Amazing.

  • @OGdadpool
    @OGdadpool Жыл бұрын

    The more I learn of history, the more I wish I could travel back in time just to see some of these magnificent builds day one after completion. Or even watch their construction

  • @starketomjochenfriedrich4941
    @starketomjochenfriedrich49412 жыл бұрын

    thank you for always giving metric measurements too :) really helps setting these things in perspective for me! i just can't believe what these people managed to do 2000 freaking years ago.. love your videos! this is the single best content on the whole internet and you are a great lecturer ❤️

  • @rizmid
    @rizmid2 жыл бұрын

    Superb presentation! Anyone who has first love for ancient Roman empire and it's history! Your channel is pure gold to indulge ourselves deep into the lives of Roman people from its prime time! A fan and an admirer from Pakistan!

  • @allenw1742
    @allenw17422 жыл бұрын

    Queens native here - loved the video and seeing the sponsor from Astoria :D

  • @rhobot75
    @rhobot752 жыл бұрын

    Been to Segovia- Woo hoo! But my comment real quick before watching is to ADD that I was amazed amazed and enthralled at the Alhambra, and in particular the stairs with the water funnels bringing the water into the complex. You're walking on a staircase and, there's water in where the handle, bannister, would be. Very eye opening for a young person, I loved it. I got to live in Spain, Madrid, for a year thru the UC Student Abroad Program- Anyway, onto the vid!

  • @crw02
    @crw022 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic writing! Script plays an incredibly important part in these videos, and this was expertly done (and narrated). Thank you!

  • @joeyanny8018
    @joeyanny80182 жыл бұрын

    Interesting, educational & informative clip. Thank you. Have asked for a more detailed explanation of The Ronan Aqueduct System from other older video producers without luck. Greatly appreciate your contribution to my understanding of something that has fascinated me for decades. 🙏

  • @jasonforster9445
    @jasonforster94452 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for helping us learn this. Your videos have become a craving of mine. I need that book. Water pressure in ancient cities is so inspirational for me.

  • @iak706
    @iak7062 жыл бұрын

    An aquaduct of sort was built near where i live in the early 20th century for supplying water to gold mining operations. It is really a gradual downslope ditch with inverted siphons built of wood flumes and 4' diameter steel pipe at every perpendicular valley. Since it operation ended they are being reclaimed into the wilderness. The ditch and flumes are filled with trees. I go to one sometimes and contemplate the silence of the place now as compared to what i imagine it sounded like during construction and the whoosh of water going into and out of the large steel pipe.

  • @amyfaith2350
    @amyfaith2350 Жыл бұрын

    Just amazing. I finally have most of my questions on Aqueducts answered. Thank you!

  • @mageofflames4372
    @mageofflames43722 жыл бұрын

    It is amazing how we could construct these things, so long ago.

  • @leavewe

    @leavewe

    2 жыл бұрын

    are you italic?

  • @mageofflames4372

    @mageofflames4372

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@leavewe Nope. I meant Humanity in general 🤣

  • @romainvicta117

    @romainvicta117

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@leavewe Why is that relevant?

  • @Jake007123

    @Jake007123

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@romainvicta117 Maybe Leavewe wanted to know if he was expressing a nationalistic feeling or a humanistic one, like he was. Mage gained a lot of appreciation from me when he clarified.

  • @drpavel_

    @drpavel_

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Jake007123 *tips fedora*

  • @eve_squared
    @eve_squared2 жыл бұрын

    it's amazing, I remember learning of aqueducts in school and didn't know how much of an engineering marvel it was.

  • @rickb3078
    @rickb30782 жыл бұрын

    220k subscribers and counting! Thank you for another great video and new insights

  • @hackresolution5074
    @hackresolution50742 жыл бұрын

    Great video. Very informative and you have a very nice voice to listen to. And thank you for not adding unnecessary music, its rare these days.

  • @engi6297
    @engi62972 жыл бұрын

    I feel like Rome is from outer world. Being able to create such an advanced civilization thousands year earlier is just incredible.

  • @ripsaebri8082

    @ripsaebri8082

    Жыл бұрын

    same goes for the egyptians, amazonians, and ruzarians

  • @randomthing9712

    @randomthing9712

    Жыл бұрын

    If Roman feels like from outer world, then Chinese would feels like from other dimensions Chinese always way ahead of every civilization, that's why when everyone advance Chinese still the same, because they always been the most advanced country at that time, make them feels no need to change

  • @waterenjoyer7850

    @waterenjoyer7850

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@randomthing9712 only in certain departments though

  • @randomthing9712

    @randomthing9712

    Жыл бұрын

    @@waterenjoyer7850 just admit it already my friend, sometimes we must let it go and face the reality 😌

  • @proxyhohol

    @proxyhohol

    Жыл бұрын

    @@randomthing9712 So advanced that they had to endure a century of humiliation . Lmao

  • @BobbyReborn
    @BobbyReborn2 жыл бұрын

    I drank water from Sagalossos, in Turkey, it was the purest taste I've ever experienced, I encourage everyone to sample that someday. Great vid as always Stone!!!

  • @evilkakepie708
    @evilkakepie7082 жыл бұрын

    I love this channel so very much. What a wonderful way to relax and learn. I purchased your book. It is great.

  • @nancyM1313
    @nancyM13132 жыл бұрын

    You make it sound easy. Thanks for explaining. Have a great weekend👑

  • @larsrons7937
    @larsrons79372 жыл бұрын

    Great video, very informative. Rome's "real" conquest of a given region was probably not by the weapons, but the roads, and the aquaducts for the cities. True marvels for the local population.

  • @johnladuke6475

    @johnladuke6475

    2 жыл бұрын

    Just like today, the real key is to stay there for a few years after conquest and win hearts and minds. It's hard to miss the old beloved leader and hate the new tyrant, when you eat better and have more coins to spare ever since the new tyrant took over.

  • @worldcomicsreview354

    @worldcomicsreview354

    2 жыл бұрын

    Well yeah but APART from the roads and the aqueducts, what have they ever done for us, eh?

  • @TheHylianBatman
    @TheHylianBatman2 жыл бұрын

    That's delightful. Good to know the Romans considered things like repairs. It seems like a few companies even nowadays can't do that!

  • @EllieMaes-Grandad

    @EllieMaes-Grandad

    2 жыл бұрын

    They had theft of water too - farmers and others 'tapping in' to the flow line.

  • @VRChat_Degen
    @VRChat_Degen2 жыл бұрын

    Love roman aquaducts, when i was a kid i had a book that showed roman building methods and the aquaducts were always amazing in their scale. Thanks for the content sir!

  • @Theaddekalk
    @Theaddekalk2 жыл бұрын

    love your voice, can listen to it all the time. Love your videos also. short but informative and your voice make it nice to listen too. SO for a history nerd with focus on roman history, this is pure gold for me!

  • @thomasmackelly7685
    @thomasmackelly7685 Жыл бұрын

    incredible engineering. Love learning about ancient architecture

  • @bullfrommull
    @bullfrommull2 жыл бұрын

    Great video. I would love to see where to water comes from and the aqueduct that carry’s the water for fountains in Rome. I have seen most of the magnificent Aqueducts from the Reman period . The Pont Du Gard in France is incredible. Traffic only stopped using it in the 1950s. A true testament to the romans engineering.

  • @susanhepburn6040
    @susanhepburn60402 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for another really interesting video - greatly appreciated!

  • @tophlovr
    @tophlovr2 жыл бұрын

    This is absolutely fascinating. I have always wondered how they had running water back then. But with your simple explanations, diagrams, and fast pace this was a fantastic video that kept me tied to every word!

  • @rotsteinkatze3267
    @rotsteinkatze32672 жыл бұрын

    I always wonder how the romans already had flowing water in their homes centuries ago, but then for centuries not even kings had it.

  • @mrsupremegascon

    @mrsupremegascon

    Жыл бұрын

    Decadency is a thing sadly.

  • @garrymuir1442

    @garrymuir1442

    Жыл бұрын

    Fall of the Roman empire and it seemed no other cultures at the time knew how to replicate what they achieved. Or didn't have the human resource to achieve it.

  • @liamjm9278

    @liamjm9278

    Жыл бұрын

    @@garrymuir1442 No one was rich enough to do and maintain them.

  • @creativeideas012

    @creativeideas012

    Жыл бұрын

    @@liamjm9278 or perhaps in frequent/constant turmoil to prioritize survival over luxury

  • @liamjm9278

    @liamjm9278

    Жыл бұрын

    @@creativeideas012 The turmoil after the fall is grossly overexaggerated.

  • @canis9178
    @canis91782 жыл бұрын

    Your inclusion of the dioptra and chorobates instruments answered many of my questions about ancient water distribution. Thanks for including them in this edition of your always enlightening and relaxing presentations. Is there an ancient Egyptian record of similar tools? I’d love to hear your take on the Ptolemaic period of Roman cultural overlap and it’s efforts to incorporate and extend Egyptian cultural and architectural achievements.

  • @R.U.1.2.
    @R.U.1.2.2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the metric conversions, Greatly appreciated.

  • @Andrew-bz4yo
    @Andrew-bz4yo2 жыл бұрын

    I recently started reading Fat Gladiators, and I'm greatly enjoying it. You are one of the people who make me feel like picking ancient history as my major this year was the right choice. Also, great video as always

  • @StefanVenus
    @StefanVenus2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this detailed history lesson!

  • @toldinstone

    @toldinstone

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for your generosity!

  • @benwilliams3539
    @benwilliams35392 жыл бұрын

    Amazing. What I'd give to walk around an ancient city like Rome in its time.

  • @max3346
    @max33462 жыл бұрын

    Really thankful for the effort you put in your videos! Ordered the book :)

  • @rmatene
    @rmatene Жыл бұрын

    Excellent!! Thank you soooooo much for the metric measument conversion!

  • @stellamarina4123
    @stellamarina41232 жыл бұрын

    The tour leader at the forum in Rome told us that the water coming out of the public water spouts/fountains all around the city had very good clean drinkable water brought into the city from the hills. From then on I filled up my water bottle at these spouts. Saved me lots of money.

  • @creativeideas012

    @creativeideas012

    Жыл бұрын

    Should have brought some back home to get tested

  • @alecjones6653
    @alecjones66532 жыл бұрын

    Perfect ad

  • @michaelpisani5962
    @michaelpisani5962 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent presentation. It hits the important points for a general overview.

  • @tragedician
    @tragedician Жыл бұрын

    Did a bike tour of the park of the aqueducts a couple years ago. Amazing. Love your videos!

  • @JamesThomas-pj2lx
    @JamesThomas-pj2lx2 жыл бұрын

    Great work!

  • @DivergentStyles
    @DivergentStyles Жыл бұрын

    I wish those giant thermea baths where still made with such elaborate artwork and style, I miss that somewhere deep inside me.

  • @mrwinterhd5202
    @mrwinterhd52022 жыл бұрын

    Great Video, really enjoined to watch it, thank you for your work :)

  • @prestonparker7321
    @prestonparker7321 Жыл бұрын

    I appreciate your hard work and attention to detail

  • @feffe4036
    @feffe40362 жыл бұрын

    Love the local commercial. Woosh. Better than the usual vpn or online learning courses.

  • @nolanleblanc
    @nolanleblanc2 жыл бұрын

    I'm wishing I lived in Queens now! Thanks Whoosh for supporting this channel!

  • @markp44288
    @markp442882 жыл бұрын

    EXCELLENT video. Thank you so much!

  • @fresagrus4490
    @fresagrus44902 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic work, this is a really good video

  • @mussnasir8587
    @mussnasir85872 жыл бұрын

    2000 year old plumbing, roads and still working.....where did we go wrong😎

  • @leonardonetagamer

    @leonardonetagamer

    Жыл бұрын

    God decided Rome should no longer exist because of its depravity

  • @horatiohuffnagel7978

    @horatiohuffnagel7978

    Жыл бұрын

    Greed and corruption. Basically their downfall as well.

  • @dankestcabin7152
    @dankestcabin71522 жыл бұрын

    love that such a local comapny sponsored this video, thanks steve

  • @SolracFS
    @SolracFS2 жыл бұрын

    Great video, highly interesting and informative. Also, great little ad, fit really well with the topic.

  • @edgarsnake2857
    @edgarsnake2857 Жыл бұрын

    Fascinating doc that explains just about everything about the Roman aqueducts. Thanks.

  • @jknox1543
    @jknox15432 жыл бұрын

    Did the tapping of these springs change the ecosystem of the area? I can imagine that taking that much water out of an area is going to dry that area up at least slightly

  • @toldinstone

    @toldinstone

    2 жыл бұрын

    Not usually, since the Romans tended to only gather the discharge of existing springs.

  • @hewitc
    @hewitc2 жыл бұрын

    I read the book. It was interesting and fun!

  • @callenclarke371
    @callenclarke3712 ай бұрын

    Fascinating content. Thank you for this.

  • @Poborsky-fx1wo
    @Poborsky-fx1wo2 жыл бұрын

    This must be one of the best KZread channels. Thank you

  • @joradnhickey5296
    @joradnhickey52962 жыл бұрын

    I love the local add read ! :)

  • @mtranchi
    @mtranchi5 ай бұрын

    2:03 Strictly speaking, it's not true that the gradient had to be consistent. Since water finds its own level, all that is needed is that the head/source needs to be above all points on the way to the destination. I could get a bit more technical, but it's not like they needed to make the ducts laser-beam straight over 50 miles.

  • @kimmcroberts5111
    @kimmcroberts5111 Жыл бұрын

    I appreciate your work!

  • @v.g.r.l.4072
    @v.g.r.l.40722 жыл бұрын

    Dr. Ryan, your video is very interesting and you make the viewer to think a lot about past exploits.

  • @Tranitaur
    @Tranitaur2 жыл бұрын

    I loved the video, I didn't know that Rome still had aqueducts that were still functioning. It made me wonder, what other places around the world have ancient water systems still in use. Any ideas?

  • @toldinstone

    @toldinstone

    2 жыл бұрын

    Some qanats in the Middle East have been flowing for nearly three millennia.

  • @SonofSethoitae

    @SonofSethoitae

    Жыл бұрын

    The Dujiangyan irrigation system in Sichuan, China was built in the 3rd century BCE and is still in use today.

  • @barkebaat
    @barkebaat2 жыл бұрын

    As someone once said (or so I'm told); up through history, plumbers have saved waaaay more lives than doctors.

  • @Misses-Hippy

    @Misses-Hippy

    2 жыл бұрын

    In many places, they make more than doctors too.

  • @snp4619

    @snp4619

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Misses-Hippy where

  • @Potacintvervs

    @Potacintvervs

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@Misses-HippySimply not true. They do make quite a lot of money, however.

  • @davidec.4021
    @davidec.40212 жыл бұрын

    Pictures can’t do justice to the sheer scale of the Trevi fountain. It’s really a marvel to see. Thank you for this video, great as always

  • @EllieMaes-Grandad

    @EllieMaes-Grandad

    2 жыл бұрын

    Odd then that it's tucked away in a back-street - perhaps very open to the public back in the day?

  • @charlie-obrien
    @charlie-obrien Жыл бұрын

    I really love your videos, so I just ordered your book “Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants:..”, It's good to see that someone spends the time to research a subject, as you have before launching into a YT video or a kindle book. I'm especially looking forward to learning why Romans and Greeks didn't wear pants. Lol

  • @psammiad
    @psammiad2 жыл бұрын

    I had to laugh at a video about ancient Roman aqueducts being sponsored by a local plumbing company😂

  • @burnstick1380
    @burnstick13802 жыл бұрын

    Okay can we appreciate that the romans engineer a 50km long aqueduct and made the ends just differ less than 2.5cm (that's a 0.00005% gradient or less). What a feat of engineering which even today would be a challenge

  • @NWO2023

    @NWO2023

    Жыл бұрын

    This is what a mean how have we not advanced

  • @jayquelen

    @jayquelen

    Жыл бұрын

    @@NWO2023 what?

  • @khwistal

    @khwistal

    Жыл бұрын

    nono that was only the one bridge... the complete aqueduct probably differs a couple meters in height

  • @AaronAtkinsHonorableChairman
    @AaronAtkinsHonorableChairman2 жыл бұрын

    heard you on BBC History Extra this morning! congratulations and what a coincidence! you were great!

  • @apocalypseblues3897
    @apocalypseblues38973 ай бұрын

    i love that your channel features local sponsors. i’ve never been to queens but if by the grace of the fates i ever find myself there i will definitely be looking up the whoosh pipe & drain company

  • @wauliepalnuts6134
    @wauliepalnuts61342 жыл бұрын

    *_AS AN ENGINEER, I GREATLY APPRECIATE THIS PARTICULAR VIDEO._*

  • @DevinDTV
    @DevinDTV2 жыл бұрын

    lmao that sponsor. how many viewers are from Queens?

  • @toldinstone

    @toldinstone

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hopefully enough to give Steve some business...

  • @bluetable4412
    @bluetable44122 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic video. I was always confused about how this process worked because everyone loves to show off the arcades, when they talk about aqueducts. I was genuinely thinking that was the whole thing, and I couldn't understand how those big arches could transfer water.

  • @DAToft
    @DAToft2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for also converting to the metric system!

  • @felicien93
    @felicien932 жыл бұрын

    This is amazing. This level of organization and know-how feels so close to what we do today. I wonder: how complex were irrigation systems during the middle-age? Was everything lost?

  • @faithlesshound5621

    @faithlesshound5621

    2 жыл бұрын

    Those systems were too complex for anyone to keep the details in his head. There must have been loads of documentation, but since that was before printing was brought from China, they would have had single copies of most things. I doubt that Christian monks would have wanted to copy any of that.

  • @felicien93

    @felicien93

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@faithlesshound5621 Wasn't printing invented in what is today modern Germany?

  • @nondescript2892

    @nondescript2892

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@felicien93 both woodblock and movable type printing was common in China centuries before Guttenbergh...but he did invent the "modern" printing press which revolutionized the commercial process

  • @silhouette6158
    @silhouette61582 жыл бұрын

    Do a video on the Roman sewer system that’s still in use for who knows how long!!!

  • @jetsons101
    @jetsons1012 жыл бұрын

    This video reminded me of a early computer game I played years ago, it was called "Caesar III," it was a city-building game from the late 90's. Great video.....

  • @aalexander928
    @aalexander9282 жыл бұрын

    Thank you - this is excellent.

  • @mikaelc1597
    @mikaelc15972 жыл бұрын

    Sad that even with such a long history of sourcing water- we still live in a world where a number of folk struggle to get clean tap

  • @randomvintagefilm273
    @randomvintagefilm2732 жыл бұрын

    All roads lead to Rome....and they built them all. They were amazing

  • @wauliepalnuts6134

    @wauliepalnuts6134

    2 жыл бұрын

    *_SOME STILL USED!_*

  • @anna-lisagirling7424
    @anna-lisagirling74242 жыл бұрын

    I wanted to add here that his book is fabulous and I take it with me to my too many doctors' visits and have probably sold about 4 copies so far. The catchy title is the first thing that peaks peoples' curiosity but then the fact that it covers various talking points about ancient Rome really reels 'em in! I never knew there wee so many history nerds out there! Yay!

  • @david9783

    @david9783

    2 жыл бұрын

    I'm one!

  • @mikeparkes7922
    @mikeparkes7922 Жыл бұрын

    Absolutely fascinating and gratefully educating. Thank you, seriously. Cheers from Oz.

  • @SG-bp4lg
    @SG-bp4lg2 жыл бұрын

    Do we have any idea how long it would have taken to build a section of aqueduct? Obviously it would have differed depending on terrain or if it needs to be elevated or not but do we have any numbers for specific examples?

  • @toldinstone

    @toldinstone

    2 жыл бұрын

    At least several years, and sometimes decades, to finish aqueducts. The enormous Aqua Claudia in Rome took 14 years to complete.

  • @SG-bp4lg

    @SG-bp4lg

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@toldinstone Thanks a ton!