Kanálisok · city chapter

Rome

From antiquity to the present

The Cloaca Maxima was originally built not as a closed underground sewer but as an open drainage channel. Some sections were vaulted only centuries later; its outlet into the Tiber can still be seen today.

Rome beneath the surface

Ancient Rome’s largest and most famous sewer, the Cloaca Maxima – the Great Sewer – was created in the 6th century BC.

The structure is approximately 900 metres long and in places reaches 4.2 metres in height and 3.2 metres in width. Remarkably, some sections are still in use today.

Rome

Rome beneath the surface

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