The Roman aqueduct was one of the most important innovations of the ancient world. The task of the Roman aqueduct was to transport water from afar and supply it to the many needs of Rome. The first Roman aqueduct was built in 312 BC by Appius Claudius Caecus (Cartwright 1). It was called Acqua Appia. This new engineering marvel saved many lives because the spring water near the city of Rome was undrinkable and full of waterborne diseases. The aqueduct brought fresh water from mountain springs; it could cover distances of up to fifty-seven miles (UNRV 1). Major cities in the United States now incorporate the aqueduct project into their water transportation system. Los Angeles, Colorado, Arizona, Massachusetts, and even Washington DC all have aqueducts that originated from Roman aqueducts. Although Roman aqueducts were long since superseded by modern technology, Roman aqueducts still serve today as the basis for many important structures in the modern world. The engineering of the Roman aqueduct was absolutely brilliant. The Romans relied solely on gravity to transport water across large tracts of land until it reached the city. The slope of the aqueduct would decrease by only a few inches every 100 feet (Layton 2). This gradual decline controlled the speed of the water so that it would not go too fast or overflow the sides of the aqueduct (Layton 2). The Roman aqueduct was built using arches that could span long distances. The arch was a specialty of Roman architecture. It was efficient because it required less stone and could withstand much greater pressure thanks to the keystone. But only a portion of Roman aqueducts used arches. Most of the aqueduct was made of unde... halves of paper... all based on the Roman example of the aqueduct. Modern aqueducts use more durable materials and new technologies to support and monitor aqueduct activity. They provide billions and billions of gallons of water to the ever-growing population on the face of this planet. Roman aqueducts have impacted our modern world in many ways. Mainly by showing us ways to import clean water into our cities and create many more improved aqueducts. Although aqueducts are perfected today, the ideas and principles on which they were built came from the great Romans. Aqueducts gave the population access to fresh water when and where they needed it. Without water Rome would not have developed into one of the major cities of ancient Italy. He gave him the possibility of having fountains and spas; the water piped into homes and created an advanced civilization.