The Historical Development of Sewers Worldwide

Sustainability

Giovanni De Feo¹  George Antoniou⁵  Hilal Franz Fardin⁶  Fatma El-Gohary³  Xiao Yun Zheng⁴  Ieva Reklaityte⁷  David Butler²  Stavros Yannopoulos⁸ 

[1] Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, via Ponte don Melillo, 1-84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy;Centre for Water System, University of Exeter, Streatham Campus, Exeter EX6 7HS, UK; E-Mail:;Water Pollution Research Department, National Research Centre, Bohouth Str. Dokki, Cairo 12622, Egypt; E-Mail:;International Water History Association, Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, No. 577, Huan Cheng West Road, Kunming 650034, China; E-Mail:;Department of Architecture, University of Patra, Patra 265 04, Hellas; E-Mail:;Social Sciences Department, Ladyss (UMR 7533-CNRS) and French Institute of Pondicherry (Umifre 21-CNRS/MAEE), Paris 8 University, 93200 Saint-Denis, France; E-Mail:;Department Ciencias de Antigüedad, Facultad Filosofia y Letras, University of Saragossa, P. Cerbuna 12, 50006 Saragossa, Spain; E-Mail:;Faculty of Engineering, School of Rural and Surveying Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Hellas; E-Mail:

关键词: bathrooms;    Bronze Ages;    Byzantine world;    Etruscan civilization;    Indus valley civilization;    Knossos;    Lavatories;    Roman Empire;    Ottoman;    Sanitation;   

DOI  :  10.3390/su6063936

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Although there is evidence of surface-based storm drainage systems in early Babylonian and Mesopotamian Empires in Iraq (ca. 4000–2500 BC), it is not until after ca. 3000 BC that we find evidence of the well organized and operated sewer and drainage systems of the Minoans and Harappans in Crete and the Indus valley, respectively. The Minoans and Indus valley civilizations originally, and the Hellenes and Romans thereafter, are considered pioneers in developing basic sewerage and drainage technologies, with emphasis on sanitation in the urban environment. The Hellenes and Romans further developed these techniques and greatly increased the scale of these systems. Although other ancient civilizations also contributed, notably some of the Chinese dynasties, very little progress was made during the Dark ages from ca. 300 AD through to the middle of the 18th century. It was only from 1850 onwards that that modern sewerage was “reborn”, but many of the principles grasped by the ancients are still in use today. This paper traces the development of the sewer from those earliest of civilizations through to the present day and beyond. A 6000 year technological history is a powerful validation of the vital contribution of sewers to human history.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.