In present times most residents of the United Kingdom take properly working plumbing systems for granted. Most do not take the time to think about the history of plumbing or the way plumbing technology has evolved over time. Plumbing has a long and interesting history: a history that is worth exploring.
It was largely during the centuries when Greeks and the Romans ruled the known world that plumbing systems made their way into urban settings. The Greeks and Romans used plumbing to take clean water to the cities and houses and dirty water away from public bathing houses which was done mostly via a network of aqueducts during the Romans' rule. In fact, the Roman way of aqueducts and lead piping was considered sufficient until the nineteenth century when underground piping systems took the place of the aqueduct system.
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.
It is largely because of the Roman bath houses that western plumbing exists in its current form. When the bath houses were first constructed bathing happened during the daylight hours only because the water in the baths was changed no more than once a day. It is important to remember that the Romans did not know about bacteria or how disease was truly spread. For ancient Romans, a single change of bathwater each day was all they thought was necessary.
The modern toilet is, arguably, more important to many modern UK citizens than the aqueducts of the Roman Empire. The toilet that most western citizens are familiar with in today's society was first built in Mohenjo-Darco in approximately 2800 BC. This toilet consisted of a pile of bricks upon which a wooden seat was fixed. These "modern" toilets were only available to the highest members of society and, in fact, would not be used by the masses until the 1800s when the western world adopted them.
Once the western world had adopted the sit down toilets and aqueduct structures of the Roman Empire, the plumbing technology surrounding them expanded very quickly. Within one hundred years, plumbing technology and toilets have gone from the aqueducts of the Roman Empire to the modern efficiencies that most citizens in the United Kingdom take for granted these days.
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. - 16928
It was largely during the centuries when Greeks and the Romans ruled the known world that plumbing systems made their way into urban settings. The Greeks and Romans used plumbing to take clean water to the cities and houses and dirty water away from public bathing houses which was done mostly via a network of aqueducts during the Romans' rule. In fact, the Roman way of aqueducts and lead piping was considered sufficient until the nineteenth century when underground piping systems took the place of the aqueduct system.
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.
It is largely because of the Roman bath houses that western plumbing exists in its current form. When the bath houses were first constructed bathing happened during the daylight hours only because the water in the baths was changed no more than once a day. It is important to remember that the Romans did not know about bacteria or how disease was truly spread. For ancient Romans, a single change of bathwater each day was all they thought was necessary.
The modern toilet is, arguably, more important to many modern UK citizens than the aqueducts of the Roman Empire. The toilet that most western citizens are familiar with in today's society was first built in Mohenjo-Darco in approximately 2800 BC. This toilet consisted of a pile of bricks upon which a wooden seat was fixed. These "modern" toilets were only available to the highest members of society and, in fact, would not be used by the masses until the 1800s when the western world adopted them.
Once the western world had adopted the sit down toilets and aqueduct structures of the Roman Empire, the plumbing technology surrounding them expanded very quickly. Within one hundred years, plumbing technology and toilets have gone from the aqueducts of the Roman Empire to the modern efficiencies that most citizens in the United Kingdom take for granted these days.
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. - 16928
About the Author:
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about efficient heating, boilers, Lower Sydenham plumbers, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.
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