Fall Of Roman Empire Essay Research Paper

Fall Of Roman Empire Essay, Research Paper

The Fall of the Roman Empire

An essay on the effect of acqueducts in ancient Rome A basic fact of life: humans

need water to survive. Therefore, it is not surprising that water has played an

important role in history. All of the ancient civilizations, including Rome, had to deal

with the problem of a steady water supply. Rome?s solutions had both positive and

negative results. At first glance, one would think that Roae would have no problem

supplying water to her people. After all, the city was built on a river. Why would

water have to be brought into the city? There were several reasons: first of all, river

water is not known for its cleanliness. It may do for irrigation, but not for drinking.

Drinking water would either have be drawn up from wells, or brought in to the cities

from pure sources in the mountains. However, digging wells enough for several ten

thousand people is not practical, as wells need to be spaced far apart. Thus, the need

for aqueducts. Bringing water in from the mountains was no simple matter. The

easiest method of transporting water was gravity feed via a sloped channel or pipe.

However, there were hills and valleys which must be crossed. The Roman engineers

used a variety of techniques to overcome these obstacles. First, the rate of descent for

the channel must be determined. Using geometry and trigonometry, this is a relatively

simple problem of triangulation. Vetruvius said that each channel “must be leveled

with a fall of not less than half a foot in 100 feet.” These calculations indicate that the

Romans had sufficient mathematical knowledge to undertake the aqueduct programs,

as well as engineering expertise. Since the channel for the water must go in a straight

line, then the next problem was where to put the line. The placement would have to

take into account the changes in elevation along the course of the channel. The

Romans took a course of compromise in their construction: they tunneled through hills

and raised the channel on arches through valleys. Once the water reached the city, it

emptied into a storage tank. From there, it was distributed into the city system or to

people who paid for the right to tap the tank. However, aqueducts were more than just

a convenient way of transporting water. They could also be used to curry political

favor. They also speak speaks of the drainage channel to Lake Fucine. The Marsians

had requested the project be carried out under Augustus, but he had refused. Claudius,

on the other hand, carried out the request even though it took eleven years work by

30,000 men. Suetonius suggests that Claudius undertook the project for personal

glory. However, it could be that he wanted to gain the favor of the Marsians after his

questionable accession(namely, being appointed by the Praetorian Guard after they

assassinated Caligula). As expensive as aqueducts were to build, they were also a

source or continuing revenue for the emperor. Citizens paid a water tax for what they

consumed, and all citizens who tapped the main tanks paid for their license to do so.

These licenses, or grants as Frontinus called them, were for a set period of time and