TechnologyEurope

Aqueducts and Roman concrete

20 BCE

Water carried hundreds of kilometres on an almost imperceptible fall

In depth

The Pont du Gard in France falls twenty-five centimetres over four hundred metres — a precision demanding surveying of a high order. Roman concrete with volcanic ash forms minerals that fill cracks over time, and researchers only reconstructed the recipe in the 2000s. The knowledge was partly lost in western Europe for over a thousand years.

For children

Rome drew water from the mountains through channels falling only a few centimetres per kilometre. The city had public baths, fountains and lavatories. The concrete the Romans used in harbours actually grows stronger in seawater.

Connects to

The Roman roads301 BCE – 200
The Pax Romana28 BCE – 180
The Colosseum80

Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org