1) The Cloaca Maxima was an ancient sewer system constructed in Rome around 600 BC, considered one of the earliest sewage systems in the world. 2) It helped drain local marshes and carry human waste from the dense city of Rome out to the nearby Tiber River. 3) The Cloaca Maxima innovation integrated earlier sewer designs and allowed Rome's hilltop villages to consolidate, helping Rome become a major urban center.

1. UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA
FACULTY OF CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
SEMESTER II 2011/2012
SUBJECT : JURUTERA DAN MASYARAKAT
SECTION 9
ROME : ENGINEERING AN EMPIRE
(CLOACA MAXIMA)
LECTURER NAME : PUAN SUSHILAWATI
STUDENT NAME :

2. The first sewerage in rome, Cloaca Maxima.
The first engineering accomplishment in the Rome - Engineering an Empire, is the
creation of a great sewer system, the cloaca maxima, which allowed the hilltop villages to
consolidate, but the story presented by Rome - Engineering an Empire begins with the end of the
Republic and Julius Caesar. The Cloaca Maxima is 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 the
world's most populous cities, it carried an effluent to the River Tiber, which ran beside the city.
The name literally means Greatest Sewer. According to tradition it may have been initially
constructed around 600 BC under the orders of the king of Rome, Tarquinius Priscus.
Figure 1 : Images of cloaca maxima in rome
The innovation of Cloaca Maxima.
The Romans integrated earlier sewer innovations into the cloaca maxima, first built
around 800 BC. These open drains were designed to carry stormwater, but the rains also flushed
away piles of excrement and household rubbish thrown into the streets. During storms, these
ditches were sources of a horribly revolting stench. Ancient Roman sewer designers also
developed cesspools, forerunners of modern-day septic tanks. Sewage first flowed into a large
stone or concrete tank where heavy solids settled to the bottom and lighter particles floated to the
top. The partially cleaned liquid flowed into a nearby body of water. Collected sludge was either
used as fertilizer or simply buried.

3. The challenge to build the Cloaca Maxima.
In Rome 735 B.C the romans began to work on a sewer system like the one we know
today. It was named The Cloaca Maxima (The Greatest Sewer) and was not finished until 225
years later. Many sources consider this sewer system as the first real sewer system compared to
modern-day sewers. Its purpose was primarily to carry away rain water from storms but also to
drain local marshes and get rid of waste. Back then the romans still threw their waste out in the
street. As the streets were cleaned the waste was moved through the sewer. The sewers carried
the effluent to the River Tiber, which ran alongside one of the greatest cities back then – Rome.
Etruscan engineers were behind the design while slaves and people from the lower classes were
set to do the hard work. There are a few different views to how the Roman sewer originally was
constructed. The most recognized theory is that the sewer was an open sewer like the first many
sewer constructions were. The underground work on the sewer is said to have been carried out
by Tarquinius Superbus, Rome´s seventh and last King.
The aqueducts which supplied Rome with water were later on channeled into the sewer
system. By doing this the romans divided their water into three categories with three different
functions: bad quality water, second quality water and the best quality water. The continuous
supply of running, bad quality, water helped removing waste and kept the sewers clean from
obstructions. The best quality water was for portable drinking supplies, and the second quality
water would be used in the famous roman baths, other public buildings and public toilets. The
private residences in Rome occupied some of the branches of the sewer. Residences were
supplied with some sort of drain. This construction was made both for the rich and poor.
In 33 B.C. the sewer is known to have received an inspection and overhaul from Marcus
Agrippa, who was a Roman statesman and general. Archaeology reveals several building styles
and material from various ages, suggesting that the system received regular attention. Some
states that the Roman water system was a product of Agrippa. He was responsible for building
several aqueducts, continuously improving and extending the already existing sewer system. The
Cloaca Maxima was believed to be watched over by the goddess Cloacine. This religious view is
a good indicator of the significance of this sewer construction in its time.

4. Figure 2 : Map of central Rome during the time of the Roman Empire, showing Cloaca
Maxima in red.
After the fall of the Roman Empire sophisticated plumbing was a forgotten invention in
Europe for centuries. In Saxon times a toilet was simply a hole in the ground. For common
people this was still the case for centuries. In the Middle Ages monks started to build stone or
wooden latrines over rivers. In the 12th century monks built a ledge along a wall overhanging the
sea. In the ledge there where holes that people could use as a toilet and when the tide went in and
out the sewage was flushed away. In castles the toilet was simply a vertical shaft with a stone
seat at the top. These shafts ran directly into the moat.

5. The contribution of Cloaca Maxima to the society.
The continuous supply of running water helped to remove wastes and keep the sewers
clear of obstructions.
The best waters were reserved for portable drinking supplies, and
The second quality waters would be used by the baths, the outfalls of which connected to
the sewer network under the streets of the city.
To drain local marshes and remove the waste of one of the world's most populous cities,
it carried an effluent to the River Tiber, which ran beside the city.