The mouth of the Cloaca Maxima, one of the world's earliest sewage systems. Constructed in Ancient Rome in order to drain local marshes and remove the waste of one of world's most populous cities, it carried effluent to the River Tiber, which ran beside the city. According to tradition, it was initially constructed around 600 BC under the orders of the king of Rome, Tarquinius Priscus by the Etruscans as an open-air canal. Over time, the Romans covered over the canal and expanded it into a sewer system for the city.

---

Size: 3434px × 5157px
Location: Rome, Italy
Photo credit: © De Luan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 6th, ancient, antiquarian, antiquity, arch, archway, art, bc, black, building, built, century, channel, city, cloaca, construction, culture, disposal, drawing, engraving, entrance, environment, environmental, etching, etruscans, graphic, heritage, historic, history, icon, iconic, illustration, italian, italy, king, line, litho, lithograph, maxima, monochrome, pictorial, picture, priscus, republic, river, roman, romans, rome, sewage, sketch, state, study, system, tarquinius, tiber, tunnel, underground, waste, water, white, woodcut