File:Rome - its rise and fall; a text-book for high schools and colleges (1900) (14598153449).jpg

Identifier: romeitsrisefallt00myer (find matches)
Title: Rome : its rise and fall ; a text-book for high schools and colleges
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Myers, P. V. N. (Philip Van Ness), 1846-1937
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Publisher: Boston, Ginn & company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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rches of masonry, not because they wereignorant of the principle that water seeks a level, but for thereason that they could not make large pipes strong enoughto resist the very great pressure to which they would besubjected.7 In some instances, the principle of the invertedsiphon was put in practice, and pipes (usually lead or 7 As to the main aqueducts, which supplied Rome with a dailyvolume of 54,000,000 cubic feet of water, it would have been impossibleto substitute metal pipes for channels of masonry, because the Romansdid not know cast-iron, and no pipe except of cast-iron could have sup-ported such enormous pressure. — Lancianis Ancient Rome in theLight of Recent Discoveries, p. 60. ARCHITECTURE. 467 earthen) were laid down one side of a valley and up theopposite slope. But their liability to accident, when thepressure was heavy, as we have intimated, led usually tothe adoption of the other method. The lofty arches of theruined aqueducts that run in long broken lines over the
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The Claudian Aqueduct. (Drawn from a photograph.) plains beyond the walls of Rome are described by all visit-ors to the old capital as the most striking feature of thedesolate Campagna. 294. Thermae, or Baths. — The greatest demand uponthe streams of water poured into Rome by the aqueductswas made by the thermae, or baths.8 Among the ancient 8 Vast quantities of water were also absorbed by the fountains, ofwhich Rome is said to have had a larger number than any other city 468 ARCHITECTURE, LITERATURE, LAW. Romans, bathing, regarded at first simply as a troublesomenecessity, became in time a luxurious art. During therepublic, bathing-houses were erected in considerable num-bers, the use of which could be purchased by a smallentrance fee equivalent to about one cent of our money.Towards the end of the republic, when bathing had alreadycome to be regarded as a luxury, ambitious politicians,anxious to gain the favor of the masses, would secure afree day for them at the baths. But it was

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