Page 256 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

water 2033

carried it to fields in low-lying areas using gravity. Along nine functioning aqueducts, which provided over three
the length of the qanat at regular intervals would be million gallons of water each day to the city.The longest
placed shafts to allow access to the water channel for of these aqueducts was slightly over ninety-five kilometers
cleaning and repair. Qanats often involved extensive in length. The beginning of the aqueducts was simply a
engineering, were up to forty kilometers in length, and channel cut into the earth with a slight downward gra-
were buried up to one hundred meters below the surface. dient that used gravity to move the water toward Rome.
This system of irrigation was adopted by the Arabs and As the aqueduct left the hills and approached the city the
Byzantines and was still used in Iran until the last half of water channel was carried on raised arches, often more
the twentieth century.There are more than forty thousand than thirty meters above ground. These channels were
known qanats in Iran with many still in use today. one meter wide and 1.8 meters high so workers could
Collecting and storing water for long periods often cre- enter the channel for cleaning.Three of the aqueducts are
ated a new problem when the water became impure or still functioning today.
collected sediment. Many ancient civilizations developed
techniques for purifying stored water in an attempt to Social Aspects
produce better drinking water. Ancient Sanskrit writings Water has also played an important role in social cus-
dating to 2000 BCE describe different methods for puri- toms. Bathing was an important ritual in ancient Greece
fying water by boiling or using sand or charcoal for fil- and Rome. Public baths became common in Greece
tering out impurities. Egyptian tomb paintings depict a starting in the fifth century BCE.Adopted by the Romans,
device for filtering water that allowed sediment and other bathing became an important social aspect of everyday
impurities to settle to the bottom of a collection device, Roman life by the first century CE. Bathing became an
allowing the clear water to be collected from the top. important center for social interaction between citizens.
While farmers needed to live near water sources for Every town would have at least one public bathing struc-
crop irrigation, as cities grew larger they also needed ture and houses of wealthier citizens would have private
water for the sustenance of
their citizens and for maintain-
ing sanitary conditions in the
city. Cities depended upon
engineers to design systems for
delivering water from its source
across many miles to its final
destination in the city. Both
Rome and Constantinople
developed impressive aqueduct
systems for bringing water to
numerous baths, fountains,
and private houses. During the
third century CE, Rome had

People socializing while
getting water from the
community well in an
Indian village.