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    History of Plumbing

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    Paola Marie Juanillo
    Plumbing has its origins in ancient civilizations like Crete and Mesopotamia, but the Romans are credited with developing the first extensive plumbing systems around 800-735 BC, including indoor plumbing and aqueducts. During the Middle Ages, plumbing declined and waste was typically disposed of unsanitarily. The modern era of plumbing began in the 19th century with the development of sewer systems in cities, though indoor plumbing was initially only available to elites. It was not until the 1930s that government projects brought water infrastructure and indoor plumbing to rural areas across the US, establishing the foundation of plumbing systems used today.

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    History of Plumbing

    Uploaded by

    Paola Marie Juanillo
    39 views2 pages
    Plumbing has its origins in ancient civilizations like Crete and Mesopotamia, but the Romans are credited with developing the first extensive plumbing systems around 800-735 BC, including indoor plumbing and aqueducts. During the Middle Ages, plumbing declined and waste was typically disposed of unsanitarily. The modern era of plumbing began in the 19th century with the development of sewer systems in cities, though indoor plumbing was initially only available to elites. It was not until the 1930s that government projects brought water infrastructure and indoor plumbing to rural areas across the US, establishing the foundation of plumbing systems used today.

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    Plumbing has its origins in ancient civilizations like Crete and Mesopotamia, but the Romans are credited with developing the first extensive plumbing systems around 800-735 BC, including indoor plumbing and aqueducts. During the Middle Ages, plumbing declined and waste was typically disposed of unsanitarily. The modern era of plumbing began in the 19th century with the development of sewer systems in cities, though indoor plumbing was initially only available to elites. It was not until the 1930s that government projects brought water infrastructure and indoor plumbing to rural areas across the US, establishing the foundation of plumbing systems used today.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    39 views2 pages

    History of Plumbing

    Uploaded by

    Paola Marie Juanillo
    Plumbing has its origins in ancient civilizations like Crete and Mesopotamia, but the Romans are credited with developing the first extensive plumbing systems around 800-735 BC, including indoor plumbing and aqueducts. During the Middle Ages, plumbing declined and waste was typically disposed of unsanitarily. The modern era of plumbing began in the 19th century with the development of sewer systems in cities, though indoor plumbing was initially only available to elites. It was not until the 1930s that government projects brought water infrastructure and indoor plumbing to rural areas across the US, establishing the foundation of plumbing systems used today.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    The Ancient History of Plumbing

    Many artifacts of plumbing’s history can be traced back to the ancient world.

    From the water closet of the Minoans on Crete, to the first canal systems in Mesopotamia; these all
    contributed to plumbing’s evolution. But, it was the Romans that really brought everything together.

    It’s widely-speculated that the Romans built their first sewer system between 800 and 735 B.C. This
    system was built to improve sanitation. Over the centuries, Rome continued to make improvements
    to its overall sanitation and plumbing.

    By the year 100 A.D., they had begun to put indoor plumbing into their homes. With eleven
    aqueducts serving the city of Rome, it became the first with truly extensive plumbing efforts. A
    wonder for its time, people from all over the world were astounded by this advanced Roman
    infrastructure.

    Had Rome survived, or at least their technology, we may have had access to modern plumbing ages
    ago. Sadly, that was not meant to be. With the fall of Rome and the rise of the Middle Ages, the
    development of plumbing would take a back seat.

    Plumbing in the Middle Ages


    Using the phrase “plumbing in the Middle Ages” is a bit of a misnomer. Homes in this time period
    didn’t make use of anything we would commonly identify as plumbing. Some cities did utilize
    sewers, but for the most part, waste was simply tossed out of windows.

    People soon realized that there was a need for plumbing, but sanitation wasn’t initially much of a
    consideration.

    The first known example of a semi-modern flushing toilet was brought to us by the English. In 1596,
    it was developed for Queen Elizabeth of England and installed to help protect people’s dignity and
    privacy.

    This invention never really caught on and it would still take another two centuries before we began
    to see modern plumbing systems.

    Of course, there’s more to plumbing than toilets, and that’s where our journey leads next.

    Early Modern Plumbing


    During the Enlightenment period and the Industrial Revolution, sewer systems began to take shape.

    Some cities, such as Rome, could use their ancient sewers as a good foundation. Networking these
    sewers together and adding pumping technology changed the way we consider sanitation and water
    distribution.

    While all of this was truly revolutionary, it’s not what we would typically consider modern
    plumbing.

    It’s not until the 19th century that the first true modern sewer and plumbing systems began to take
    shape. These systems would revolutionize the world for years to come.

    The Start of Modern Plumbing


    Reference:
    Eyman Plumbing Staff. (September 16, 2020). Of Water and Waste: A Brief History of Plumbing.
    https://trusteyman.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-plumbing/
    Throughout the 1850s, the city of New York worked on constructing its sewers. Miles of piping was
    laid beneath the surface of the city. These replaced the failing systems, first installed in the 1740s
    with tunnels still used today.

    During the latter half of the 1800s, wealthier individuals began to have indoor plumbing as a
    standard. They dumped their waste directly into underground sewage. This was well before the
    invention of sewage treatment plants.

    Slowly, cities around the world began to expand and modernize their traditional systems. With the
    20th century nearing close, the elite living in larger cities had open access to plumbing.
    Unfortunately, most average people still didn’t have basic necessities such as running water.

    The 1930s Water Revolution


    During the early 20th century, a number of cities started to provide clean running water. This
    helped make indoor plumbing a reality for millions of Americans.

    Despite this, most Americans still didn’t have indoor plumbing. It wasn’t until the 1930s that indoor
    plumbing, running water, and modern bathrooms would arrive in rural America.

    In the 1930s, most US citizens still lived in rural areas and small towns. These areas were difficult to
    modernize because most lacked any form of supporting infrastructure. During the 1930s, this all
    changed, as the government began supporting work that would spread pipes and running water all
    across the country.

    It was this event more than any other that gave us what we now know as modern plumbing. It also
    gave us the first modern plumbers.

    Outhouses were slow to become outdated; they were still widely used into the 1960s and beyond.
    As water and waste systems became more complex, they eventually phased out.

    By the 1970s and 80s, every newly installed house in America had a recognizable toilet and water
    system. This trend has continued until the current day, with innovation mostly revolving around
    efficiency and durability.

    Understanding of health and sanitation has increased overall as well. Our ability to treat water and
    render it safe for consumption has never been higher.

    Modern Plumbing
    The history of plumbing is in many ways a history of civilization. Plumbing and sewer systems are
    what allowed us to build the mega cities of today’s world. Without it, we would still have to rely on
    natural running water, like rivers, to flush waste away from our homes.

    Populations continue to expand and will likely never slow down. More attention is being paid now
    to advancing our plumbing systems than ever before. The next few decades are guaranteed to add
    more to the storied history of plumbing in the annals of civilization.

    While plumbing has come a long way since the days of kings and queens, it’s not perfect. Many
    problems, like clogged pipes, can still plague your plumbing systems.

    Reference:
    Eyman Plumbing Staff. (September 16, 2020). Of Water and Waste: A Brief History of Plumbing.
    https://trusteyman.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-plumbing/

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