A dictionary of Greek and Roman . ; he will confess that there neverwas any thing more wonderful in the whole world. But why did the Romans waste so muchmoney and labour on works, the purpose of whichmight have been effected much more scientificallyby the simple plan of laying pipes along theground ? Of course, it is easy to give the unthink-ing answer, that they were ignorant of the laws ofhydrostatics, and did not know that water findsits own level! It is truly marvellous that suchan absurd notion shoidd ever have been enter-tained, and yet it is the common explanation ofthe fa
A dictionary of Greek and Roman . ; he will confess that there neverwas any thing more wonderful in the whole world. But why did the Romans waste so muchmoney and labour on works, the purpose of whichmight have been effected much more scientificallyby the simple plan of laying pipes along theground ? Of course, it is easy to give the unthink-ing answer, that they were ignorant of the laws ofhydrostatics, and did not know that water findsits own level! It is truly marvellous that suchan absurd notion shoidd ever have been enter-tained, and yet it is the common explanation ofthe fact of their building aqueducts instead oflaying down water-pipes. If it were at all neces-cessary to prove that a nation, so far advanced incivilisation as the Romans, or indeed that any in-dividual arrived at years of discretion, had dis-covered that water finds its own level, the proofmight be supplied from passages in Latin authors *,from the whole arrangements for the distributionof the water of the aqueducts, and from the AQUAEDUCTUS. 109. a, a, The ascending pipe. b, &, The basin, made of blocks of travertine. * Vitruvius not only expressly states the law(viii. 6, s. 5), but describes one form of the aque-duct in which it was practically applied (viii. 6), as will be seen below. Pliny also, in de-scribing the passage of water through pipes, statesthe law in these very distinct terms : — Subitaltitudinem exortus sui. (H. N. xxxi. 6. s. 31.) very existence of their numerous fountains ; as a de-cisive ocular demonstration, we have given above asection of one of the many fountains still existingat Pompeii. Another reason assigned for theconstruction of aqueducts by the Romans is theirwant of the materials, and the manufacturing skill,to make pipes of a sufficient size ; combined, onthe other hand, with the love of magnificence andthe ostentatious disregard of expense, by whichthe architectural works of the empire are cha-racterised. Some weight should doubtless be as-s
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