More Than You Ever Really Wanted to Know About Sewers

Early Concepts

The concept of using water to manage waste dates back to the earliest human settlements. Gary Arndt explains that ancient civilizations often dug shallow ditches to channel waste and excess water to rivers, a practice evident in early Sumeria with clay sewer pipes dating back 6000 years 1. These pipes were innovative for their time, allowing easy repair and cleaning. The Indus Valley civilization advanced this concept with underground brick drainage systems connecting homes and public baths to rivers 1.

The Romans were incredibly proud of their sewer, often bragging about it to visitors to the city.

--- Gary Arndt

The Minoans further developed these systems by burying clay pipes, and even had early flush toilets 1.

   

Roman Systems

The Roman sewer system, particularly the cloaca maxima, stands as a monumental achievement in ancient engineering. Built around 600 BC, it remains one of the oldest functional sewer systems in the world 2. Initially a canal by the Etruscans, it was later covered and expanded to handle both waste and stormwater. Gary Arndt notes that its size was impressive, large enough for a wagon to pass through, but it could back up during heavy rains, causing waste to spill into the streets 2.

Rome almost certainly never could have had such a massive population and become the first city with 1 million inhabitants if it wasn't for the cloaca.

--- Gary Arndt

The Romans exported their sewer technology across their empire, though not all cities developed such systems 2.