Ancient Rome's Sanitation System: Centuries Ahead of It's Time

Ancient Roman city of Boro had the most impressive sanitation system in the ancient world.

The first to use piping embedded in concrete, the 1st to make a conscious effort at separating poor quality water used for latrines and bath houses, and cleaner water to be used for drinking and cooking.

The Romans might have been good, but certainly did their homework.

The Cloaca Maxima is the world's first large scale sewage system.

It was built by the Etruscan kings of Tuscany and Campania , not the Romans .

The Romans were particularly focused on the dangers of standing water for an idea like many of theirs, which originated from ancient Greece .

At its peak, Rome may have even hit a million inhabitants and its sanitation system was well ahead of its time.

The Roman sewer system was built between 38 AD and 52 AD and measures some 43 miles , 69 kilometers .

It brought in 190,000 cubic meters , 6.7 million cubic feet in in 24 hours , 2.3 cubic meters per second.

Public toilets were typically multi seater affairs with eight to 20 seats facing inwards.