|
Not sure how basic the basics are you know, but without lots of citations and technical readouts they work like this:
They are driven by gravity. Their start point is in high lands, generally mountains, and are fed by rivers/streams. The water flows into the duct, which can either be covered or uncovered, and then is carried, via the aquaducts, to the city at the lower elevation. Generally they have a slope of about an inch/10 feet or something like that, allowing the water to be brought long ways. They are made pretty much out of stone, and im unsure if the romans utilized their newfound mortar with them, but either way they leaked like a sieve. In order to support the weight of the water, the arch was used librally in it. This also helped marginally to allow airflow go through, so that it reduced the risk of wind blowing over the duct. However, frequent portions i believe, especially closer to the source, were not raised, but were flat on the ground, as long as the ground had a sufficient slope.
Once inside the city, it was split up into lead piping and ran to important parts of town: fountains, baths, palaces, ect. The spout being lower then the original point of entry, the pressure is sufficient enough to provide as much pressure as modern day public water works provide.
Not very detailed, but it might help. Also note that the ducts were pretty vulnerable to poisoning or destruction by enemies, which could, and did, cripple an assulted city.
|