Most of us living in the UK today take for granted the convenience of modern plumbing technologies, from a flushing toilet to a running tap of clean and potable water. Today nobody has to think about the changes plumbing has gone through or the history of the technology. However, the history of plumbing and its respective technology is long and interesting.

Most of us living in the UK today take for granted the convenience of modern plumbing technologies, from a flushing toilet to a running tap of clean and potable water. Today nobody has to think about the changes plumbing has gone through or the history of the technology. However, the history of plumbing and its respective technology is long and interesting.

It was during the Greek and Roman empires that plumbing technology first started to evolve. Basic plumbing systems were invented and installed during these empires' rule to make it easier to carry water to and from the public bathing houses that were so popular. It was this necessity that lead to the invention of the aqueduct during the Roman Empire. The aqueduct was the primary mode of plumbing and water distribution from the Roman Empire until the 1800s. 

Pipes were constructed mostly from lead during ancient times and aqueducts were pieced together from stone and clay. However, this is no longer the case in modern times. Today, steel, brass, copper and plastic are the most popular building materials for plumbing and piping systems. Lead is no longer used to make pipes because the toxicity of lead is considered to be too high. 

The bath houses that the Romans enjoyed are considered the predecessors of plumbing as it currently exists. Originally, public bathing only occurred while the sun was up because the bath water was only replaced once each day. Remember, it was not until long after the Roman Empire fell that bacterium was discovered and the western world learned how diseases were spread with the obvious implications on bathing and personal hygiene. In Roman times, one water change each day was all they thought they needed.

The modern toilet, another staple of modern plumbing systems in the western world, is also derived from ancient times. The western toilet is largely based upon the toilets used in Mohenjo-Darco as long ago as 2800BC. These toilets were made from a wooden seat that was placed on top of a brick pile. In 2800BC only the richest citizens were allowed to use these toilets. It took as long as the middle of the 1800s for the sit down toilet that was so celebrated in ancient Rome to be adopted by western societies. 

As the western world adopted the plumbing and toilet structures that were invented in Roman times the technology surrounding the systems exploded in volume and size. In less than one hundred years the western world helped toilets and plumbing fixtures advance from aqueducts and sit down holes to the sophisticated and technically complex modern marvels that western people now take for granted. 

In today's plumbing systems most pipes are kept under the ground and cesspools and open sewage drains have almost been completely eliminated due to environmental and operational considerations. As the western world continues to advance it is highly likely that plumbing and toilet systems will become cleaner and more efficient as well, with further introduction of green technology and improvement in treatment of sewage and contaminated water.