Today the average person in the UK is largely unaware of the importance of plumbing technology, normally taking for granted a high pressure shower and a modern flushed toilet. It is rare that someone in the modern world takes the time to learn about the way plumbing technology has advanced or the history of plumbing in general. This history is interesting and offers some surprising outcomes.
It was during the Greek and Roman empires that plumbing technology first started to evolve. Basic plumbing systems were invented and installed during these empires' rule to make it easier to carry water to and from the public bathing houses that were so popular. It was this necessity that lead to the invention of the aqueduct during the Roman Empire. The aqueduct was the primary mode of plumbing and water distribution from the Roman Empire until the 1800s.
Pipes were constructed mostly from lead during ancient times and aqueducts were pieced together from stone and clay. However, this is no longer the case in modern times. Today, steel, brass, copper and plastic are the most popular building materials for plumbing and piping systems. Lead is no longer used to make pipes because the toxicity of lead is considered to be too high.
The bath houses that were popular during the Roman Empire were the real driver behind modern western plumbing calling for technical solutions from the ancient engineers. When the bath houses were first used and plumbing had not yet fully developed, the water in the public bath houses was only changed once a day and people bathed only while the sun was out. This is because bacteria had not yet been discovered and Romans had not yet learned how diseases and infections were spread. Sanitation had not yet evolved and a single change of water was considered efficient for that time's hygienic standards.
Perhaps more important than the public baths and aqueducts, though, is the evolution of the modern toilet. The toilet that is so familiar to the modern western world was first invented around 2800 BC in Mohenjo-Darco and was made from a seat placed upon a pile of bricks. In those times only the highest class of society was allowed to use the toilet. It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that the western world adopted the sit-down toilet that was popular with the ancient Romans.
Once the sit down toilet and the other plumbing systems that were adopted by the Romans made their way into western society, the technology surrounding them advanced very quickly. It took less than a century for plumbing and toilet technology to move from aqueducts and holes atop brick piles to become the highly attractive designs for toilets and modern showers of today.
In today's plumbing systems most pipes are kept under the ground and cesspools and open sewage drains have almost been completely eliminated due to environmental and operational considerations. As the western world continues to advance it is highly likely that plumbing and toilet systems will become cleaner and more efficient as well, with further introduction of green technology and improvement in treatment of sewage and contaminated water.
It was during the Greek and Roman empires that plumbing technology first started to evolve. Basic plumbing systems were invented and installed during these empires' rule to make it easier to carry water to and from the public bathing houses that were so popular. It was this necessity that lead to the invention of the aqueduct during the Roman Empire. The aqueduct was the primary mode of plumbing and water distribution from the Roman Empire until the 1800s.
Pipes were constructed mostly from lead during ancient times and aqueducts were pieced together from stone and clay. However, this is no longer the case in modern times. Today, steel, brass, copper and plastic are the most popular building materials for plumbing and piping systems. Lead is no longer used to make pipes because the toxicity of lead is considered to be too high.
The bath houses that were popular during the Roman Empire were the real driver behind modern western plumbing calling for technical solutions from the ancient engineers. When the bath houses were first used and plumbing had not yet fully developed, the water in the public bath houses was only changed once a day and people bathed only while the sun was out. This is because bacteria had not yet been discovered and Romans had not yet learned how diseases and infections were spread. Sanitation had not yet evolved and a single change of water was considered efficient for that time's hygienic standards.
Perhaps more important than the public baths and aqueducts, though, is the evolution of the modern toilet. The toilet that is so familiar to the modern western world was first invented around 2800 BC in Mohenjo-Darco and was made from a seat placed upon a pile of bricks. In those times only the highest class of society was allowed to use the toilet. It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that the western world adopted the sit-down toilet that was popular with the ancient Romans.
Once the sit down toilet and the other plumbing systems that were adopted by the Romans made their way into western society, the technology surrounding them advanced very quickly. It took less than a century for plumbing and toilet technology to move from aqueducts and holes atop brick piles to become the highly attractive designs for toilets and modern showers of today.
In today's plumbing systems most pipes are kept under the ground and cesspools and open sewage drains have almost been completely eliminated due to environmental and operational considerations. As the western world continues to advance it is highly likely that plumbing and toilet systems will become cleaner and more efficient as well, with further introduction of green technology and improvement in treatment of sewage and contaminated water.
About the Author:
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about plumbers, central heating, London plumbers, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.
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