Aqueduct
device · 312 BC · Ancient world
A conduit that brings water by gravity.
What it is made of
Principles and materials it uses
- Gravity flow — uses. Water flows down a gradient without pumps.
- Stone — is made of. Aqueducts are stone arches and channels.
Things built in a similar way
- Sewerage — works like. Both systems carry water by gravity through channels: one drains waste, the other supplies water; the drains of Mohenjo-daro are older than the Roman aqueducts.
- Plumbing — works like. An aqueduct brings water to a city, plumbing distributes it inside; Minoan pipes are older than the Roman aqueducts.
- Qanat — works like. An underground channel instead of an overground one.