Technology and Plumbing
Most of us living in the UK today take for granted the convenience of modern plumbing technologies, from a flushing toilet to a running tap of clean and potable water. Today nobody has to think about the changes plumbing has gone through or the history of the technology. However, the history of plumbing and its respective technology is long and interesting.
Plumbing first made its way into urban communities while the Romans and the Greeks were the powerful empires of the world. Plumbing was used by the Romans and Greeks for the public bathing houses that were so popular. Aqueducts came into fashion while the Romans were in power and they were used to carry clean water to the bathing houses and take the dirty water away. The Roman aqueduct system was used until the 1800s when advances in technology started a replacement process of the aqueducts by piping systems located underground.
In ancient times, the pipes were constructed mostly of lead while the aqueducts were constructed of clay or stone. This is a stark contrast to the plumbing materials used today. In present times copper, brass, steel or even plastic are the most popular construction materials for pipes and plumbing systems. Lead has been discontinued permanently because it has a high toxicity level.
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 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.
Plumbing first made its way into urban communities while the Romans and the Greeks were the powerful empires of the world. Plumbing was used by the Romans and Greeks for the public bathing houses that were so popular. Aqueducts came into fashion while the Romans were in power and they were used to carry clean water to the bathing houses and take the dirty water away. The Roman aqueduct system was used until the 1800s when advances in technology started a replacement process of the aqueducts by piping systems located underground.
In ancient times, the pipes were constructed mostly of lead while the aqueducts were constructed of clay or stone. This is a stark contrast to the plumbing materials used today. In present times copper, brass, steel or even plastic are the most popular construction materials for pipes and plumbing systems. Lead has been discontinued permanently because it has a high toxicity level.
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 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.
About the Author:
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about commercial boilers, plumbers, plumber Reading, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.
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