Were the Roman Aqueducts used as Water Slides? | April 1, 2022 | toldinstone
Posted on 04/14/2022 9:45:58 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
No, they were not.
You can read the original version of my answer to this question, which appeared on the AskHistorians subreddit, here.Were the Roman Aqueducts used as Water Slides? | April 1, 2022 | toldinstone
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
Nah, they were invented, but ultra-high emperor-Inflation made them unaffordable.
If kids could do it, they did it.
Because the slopes are too shallow.
Aqua Virgo, which is still in operation and is what to this day is the source for the water in the Trevi Fountain, is 20.5 km in length and has a total drop of four meters. That means its average slope is 0.02%. As in 7/10ths of one inch of drop per 100 yards of viaduct. You wouldn't build up much of a head of steam on anything that shallow.
Which was part of the point. Fast-flowing water would have accelerated erosion. They built the aqueducts to last. Most of the rest were demolished for their stone but Aqua Virgo has lasted (with infrequent updates and repairs) for 2040 years.
What's that old saying, "They don't build 'em like that any more!"
Excellent share.
I think you would probably get an instant death penalty for screwing with the water supply back then. They didn’t mess around with idiots back in those days.
Auto-dead.
They were not used as water slides because they slope at less than a 1 degree angle....the lower the slope, the farther you can transport water from source.
In Florida during the summer, it rains every day. Sometimes really hard. Large puddles form in the strip mall’s parking lot.
All you need is a Jeep, rope, piece of round plywood and your underwear.
—
This sounds so very “Florida man”.
Does it have to be a Jeep?
I want to be called Loretta!
Maybe not officially, but don’t forget the time Felix double dared Titus ....
The boys knew how to party, even then. Atticus was the worst. I’m SURE he would have done the slides.
“Does it have to be a Jeep?”
No, an El Camino with carpet in the back will work too.
5.56mm
I am Florida man!
That should scare anyone.
5.56mm
Not enough slope to be any fun. They were more like a long linear lake than a high speed trough, very similar to the head portion of a water mill.
Probably make the perps scrub the whole thing from end to end.
And then make them cut the branch used to make the handle for the headsman’s axe. ;^)
That does make sense.
I sure hope so.
L
Turns out, the whole darned Empire was on double secret probation, that’s the reason it fell.
For a long while I’ve been of the opinion that the entire series of prehistoric and early historic human inventions grew out of bored young boys double-daring each other. :^)
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