Key Elements and Influence of the Roman Empire

Great and successful empires are built on a foundation of many interconnected and moving parts. They include, but are not limited to, its leadership, workforce, location, and access to many resources such as building supplies, technology, and a means to fuel both people and the empire itself. Most importantly an empire cannot be built without a mass number of people and a means to attract even more people to join the empire to thus ensure the growth and prosperity of the empire through the acquisition of their lands, monetary resources, technologies and knowledge. One of the greatest empires in human history is that of the Roman Empire. With its great military success, far-reaching control over mass amounts of land and populations, social reforms, and innovative technological accomplishments, the Roman Empire still influences our lives and world today. The most obvious presence of the Roman Empire in today’s world is that which was physically left behind. The Roman

Empire is known for its engineering marvels to achieve the feats required to grow to the point that it did. Many of these engineering accomplishments were achieved so the empire could transport and have a major resource needed for not only for the survival and health of its citizens but also for the luxury and appeal that Rome's wealthier citizens came to be known for. This resource and cultural symbol was water. Through the building of mass infrastructure such as aqueducts, bridges, tunnels, and complex pipe systems the Romans were able to utilize water from across the Empire for drinking water, agriculture, as well as baths and fountains to form the water rich empire that we are still discovering today.
Large cities—such as the one Rome would become—require mass amounts of water to run. Rome was founded on the Tiber River near the Tyrrhenian Sea and at its earliest stages the citizens of Rome were able to access all the water they needed from the river. As Rome’s population grew so did its need for more water. Roman engineers turned to aqueducts to transport and supply water from outlying sources across the Empire to the ever growing Rome . Not only was there a need for more water there was also a desire for fresher and cleaner water which river sources—which are often full of sediment—cannot provide. Although Rome turned its gaze for water outwards and away from the Tiber River it remained an important part of the water system of Rome. Rome had complex systems of sewers to remove its substantial amounts of water, waste and, “a dead body or two ,” from the city which fed into the Tiber. The river also served as Rome’s main transportation route to the growing Empire .
Aqueducts are systems of manmade channels that are able to transport water via tunnels, bridges, reservoirs, pools and pipes from permanent water reservoirs or springs long distances away . The Romans were not the first civilization to create and use aqueducts, however they were certainly the first to put them to use on a grand scale . There is much planning that must be done before an aqueduct can be constructed as the initial water source must be located and the route of the aqueduct itself must be planned.
Rome is built amongst hills which collect precipitation causing runoff to pool in nearby areas. This runoff flows into the nearby Tiber River and in turn the Tyrrhenian Sea. Therefore, in areas nearby Rome it is easier to find sources of water. Further from these main sources, however, underground springs must be tapped into in order to gain access to fresh water . As water filtration and purification systems did not yet exist it was important to gain access to water at its most clean and pure point so as to avoid contamination with refuse or sediment. The Romans had simple yet effective ways of testing water sources for purity. They would sprinkle the water over a bronze vessel and wait for the water to dry—if it left no residue then the water was seen to be clean .
Once a source of fresh and pure water has been located the route of the aqueduct must be planned. Having no electric or mechanical technology to pump and transport water the Romans relied on gravity to have water flow at steady and predictable rates along manmade channels from the source to the destination. The water could not be pumped back up in elevation after its level had dropped. Because of this the Romans turned to great engineering marvels to keep water flowing at a constant and steady rate downwards towards the destination. As the Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio would later publish in De architectura (On Architecture), over the course of the aqueduct water must fall a minimum of 0.5% in elevation in order for it to maintain a continuous flow rate . In order to maintain this constant and consistent drop in elevation Roman engineers built tunnels through hills where the ground rose in elevation and built bridges or arcades over ground which dropped in elevation. The first aqueduct built was the Aqua Appia which was named after Appius Claudius . The intake of the Appia is sourced from natural springs at an estimated altitude of only twenty-four metres above sea level with its terminus at an altitude of a mere fifteen metres above sea level. Its elevation drop is at the bare minimum of a 0.5% drop and therefore drops an approximate eight metres over its sixteen kilometer length . The Appia was completed in 312 BCE and was the first aqueduct of eleven that would be constructed across the Roman Empire over the next half a millennia . Later aqueducts would increase in length, slope and grandeur, and they were sourced from springs, lakes and rivers across the Empire. The longest of the Roman aqueducts was the Aqua Marcia. The Marcia was sourced from springs and was completed in 144-140 BCE. It would reach an astonishing length ninety-one kilometers long, with ten of those kilometers stretching across on arches . It was through the construction of aqueducts stretching cumulatively over 260 miles that Roman engineers were able to provide the city with the water it required to grow into the massive and complex centre of the Roman Empire we know today.
In addition to drinking water Roman citizens also needed food to survive and help fuel the Empire. Rome was an overtly agricultural society which relied on crop production to grow food and feed its masses. Since a mass amount of the Mediterranean is of a dryer climate the Romans relied on dry farming which focused on crops such as olives and grapes. In areas where water was more abundant or where irrigation was possible cereal crops were introduced as well . Wheat and barley were the most common and during the earliest centuries of Rome and were used to make puls which was a type of corn gruel. In the second century BCE when water distribution and irrigation became more commonplace there was an increase of consumption of different types of bread in Rome . Rome’s own agricultural production was not enough to supply the growing needs of the population as the Empire grew. As different lands were taken over and inducted into the Empire the people of those lands were granted Latin or Roman rights in return for supplying the city of Rome itself with a prescribed amount of grain per year. These lands were areas that were more suitable for grain, fruit and vegetable production than the area immediately surrounding Rome because of not only their differing climate but also their access to water for their crops. These amounts of grain were transported into the city via the Tiber River. Agricultural production and consumption across the empire also came to fuel the majority of Rome’s economy. Not only was it the good produced, it was also the service of farming that was offered in the highest quantity . Crop production was possible because of the controlled availability of water across the Empire and those crops were able to be easily transported to the great city of Rome because of river systems and the Tiber River. It was through the Empire’s ability to fuel both its citizens and its economy through both crop production and trading that Rome was able to use water once again to grow into a great and powerful Empire.
Since Rome had an abundant and growing supply of fresh and clean water they increasingly found more uses for water beyond that of drinking and watering crops. Water became a cultural symbol—Rome had large amounts of water because it was powerful enough to transport water great distances from the highest quality sources in order to supply not only their practical but also frivolous and aesthetic purposes. Just as they do in arid urban centers in today’s day and age the Romans used fountains to increase aesthetic appeal in their city and make a visible show of their liquid wealth. There were many fountains throughout the city. Some of these fountains survived the passage of time, however they did not survive the passage of the World Wars in Europe so we cannot see as many of these grand fountains now as we could even one hundred years ago .
Bath houses were introduced into Rome toward the end of the third century BCE and became prominent in the city. The grand bath houses were purposely built in locations so that they may be fed by the different aqueducts feeding into the city. To an outsider the practice of daily hot baths may seem a luxury however the practice of hot baths became commonplace for all people of Rome—even the poorest citizens and slaves. It was seen as important to maintain good personal hygiene and remain cleanly—washing a minimum of arms and legs on a daily basis . There were great public baths known as thermae for the general public which were seen as gifts built for the citizens of Rome by the richest citizens or later the Emperors. There were also smaller private baths known as balnea meritoria which were built and run for profit which were frequented by a more restricted clientele who could afford the luxury of a more private bathing experience .
The great public bath houses of Rome were grand buildings which were designed to meet every need of bathers. In the larger bath houses there were separate areas for men and women, while the smaller bath houses had separate bathing times for the two genders so as to not have men and women bathing together. The baths also had separate baths or pools heated to different temperatures—often in hot, tepid, and cold temperatures—which were heated by furnaces fueled by charcoal. The furnaces heated not only the water but also air which was pumped into crevices built into the walls and floors of the baths to ensure a warm climate for bath goers to enjoy .
In addition to these luxuries still not enjoyed by many populations even in today’s day and age there were amenities provided such as change rooms for both men and women, large open spaces for bath goers to take part in wrestling and gymnastics, smaller rooms to oil the body, as well as vendors of both food and drink in and around the bath called popinae . In his book, Vitruvius himself stated that aqueducts were an essential part of any major city to feed both the public and private baths as they were a necessity for any Roman town worth living in . Not only did aqueducts supply a constant fresh supply of water for the bath houses but they also provided Romans the ability to flush excess, dirty, or soiled water from the baths and its latrines into the sewer system of Rome which helped the city and its baths to stay clean .
Private bath houses were built by individuals so that they may be run for a profit.

Public bath houses were owned by the state as they were built by rich citizens or later Emperors as gifts for the public and while they were not run for profit there was still a cost to attend the baths as there was a cost behind running them. Sometimes a rich citizen or magistrate would pay a mass sum to cover the entrance fees for the public so the baths would be free for a period of time . Although the bath houses of Rome became commonplace for its citizens and the act of taking in the hot baths was a daily occurrence within the borders of Rome it was still a luxury for its citizens provided only through the sourcing and transportation of immense amounts of water. The baths of Rome along with its fountains were indeed a visible showing of Rome’s wealth, power and influence. It was through this wealth and power that Rome was able to develop into a great Empire that we still study and which still influences us

today.
Rome grew to be one of the greatest Empires that the world has ever seen and it was built on the foundation of its leadership, workforce, location, and access to many resources such as building supplies and the technology to use those supplies to build great works, as well as a means to fuel both people and the Empire itself through a constant supply of quality food and water. In order to supply this necessary food and water Roman engineers planned and built grand aqueducts across the Empire so as to supply Rome with the water required not only for the survival and health of its citizens but also for the luxury and appeal that all of Rome's citizens came to be known for. Water in Rome was used for drinking and irrigation to fuel the people, as well as for baths and fountains as a visible show of the power, influence, and sheer liquid wealth that the Empire came to be known for and is still known for today.