It is not uncommon to read a headline about a water pipe bursting in a city, leaving thousands without water. In the 21st century, this situation constitutes an extreme inconvenience for populations. Most people assume that fresh water will come out of their faucet every time they turn it on. It's hard to imagine a time when people didn't have running water in their homes. How did human civilization get here? Believe it or not, it was the Romans who started the world on a path that led to indoor plumbing in every home today. Roman civilization flourished from around 750 BC to 500 AD. Arguably one of the greatest civilizations of all time, the Roman Empire. covered the entire European continent and beyond. The Romans made advances in almost every aspect of life, including "art, architecture and engineering, language and writing, philosophy, law and citizenship" (Alavosus 15) . Many people consider the engineering achievements of the Romans to be the greatest. heritage of the Roman Empire. Engineering flourished during this era because the Romans created tools and techniques that helped them become successful builders. They built thousands of miles of roads including tunnels and bridges. Roman engineers developed tools for leveling, measuring and aligning. Most importantly, they created concrete that allowed them to build massive arches, vaults, and domes. Using these engineering skills, they were able to build large-scale structures such as bridges and aqueducts. One of the legacies of Roman engineering is the aqueduct, which has been used throughout history to ensure the growth of civilizations by providing drinking water and water for agriculture. Historians believe that primiti...... middle of paper... ...this has been the role of the aqueduct since Roman engineers developed it. “…aqueducts allowed human civilization to grow and spread on a far greater scale than would have been possible without such technologies, and they are just as vital today as they were in ancient times. 'dawn of civilization' (Aqueducts 1). Aqueducts will continue to play an important role in transporting fresh water to modern cities for the foreseeable future. As technologies and materials advance, aqueducts will adapt to these changes. However, the concept of providing water to a city in need will not change. “Water acquisition and distribution systems are undoubtedly among the most important technologies available to humans. Although water systems are generally ignored and taken for granted, they enable a myriad of other technologies and activities within human societies” (Aqueducts 1).