The history of plumbing
Ever wonder what the world was like before multi-feature Japanese toilets? We bring you a brief history of plumbing.
Origins
Plumbing originated in ancient Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian and Chinese civilisations as the cities began to develop public baths and needed to provide potable water and safe wastewater removal for growing numbers of people.
Earthen pipes with broad flanges made of asphalt to prevent leaks appeared in urban settlements of the Indus Valley Civilisation by 2700 B.C. and the Romans used lead pipe inscriptions to deter water theft.
The Roman apex
Plumbing reached an early peak in ancient Rome, which saw the creation of aqueducts, tile wastewater removal and the widespread use of lead pipes.
However, when the Roman Empire fell, as did the plumbing glory days, and Rome’s water supply stagnated for over 1,000 years.
The 1800s
In the 1800s, public health authorities called for better waste disposal systems in a bid to control disease epidemics.
Prior to this, waste was simply collected and dumped into the streets or the river, but the new rules introduced the development of separate, underground water and sewage systems.
Finally, open sewage ditches and cesspools could become a distant memory.
Our modern plumbing systems
Today, most large cities pipe solid wastes to sewage treatment plants to partially purify water before it is sent into streams.
After World War II, the use of lead pipes in public water supplies sharply declined due to increased awareness of the dangers of lead poisoning, and today copper piping is used as a safer alternative.