I had no idea hydraulic mining was that old. I looked it up in Wiki and it says a precursor using natural flooding or a diverted river was described by Pliny the Elder in the 1st Century BC.
It’s probably older than that, rooted in panning for gold, it’s just that water management was the Romans’ home run swing.
https://mineralexpert.org/article/hydraulic-mining-placer-gold-monitor
https://www.ancient-history-sites.com/roman/context/economy/mining/