The land before the cloaca maxima
Seven hills sit in central Rome, with valleys running between them (Hopkins 6). In the valley where the Cloaca Maxima and Roman Forum now exist, the land was once a wet marsh, only 6 meters above sea level (Hopkins 6). An open stream ran through this valley, which flowed directly into the Tiber River (Hopkins 6). In addition to the stream and water runoff from the nearby hills, the Tiber River would flood this valley every year, with flood waters often reaching 3 meters deep in the valley (Hopkins 6). This flooding, along with the marshy nature of the land in the valley, limited early Roman settlements to the tops of hills (Hopkins 6).
construction of the cloaca maxima
In the 7th Century B.C., the Roman king Priscus commissioned a project to raise the elevation of the marsh filled valley (Hopkins 8). By doing this, the land would become suitable for construction and habitation. This was accomplished by building up 5 layers of soil, gravel, and debris until the land was elevated to 9 meters above sea level (Hopkins 8). With the additional layers of soil and gravel, the marsh land was filled and elevated enough to escape the annual flood of the Tiber River (Hopkins 8).
The original plan to fill in the marsh did not account for the stream that ran through it, and the water from the stream continuously eroded the progress that they had made in filling in the marsh (Hopkins 8). After realizing that the stream which ran through the valley needed to be routed to the Tiber River, construction of the Cloaca Maxima canal began (Hopkins 8).
In the 6th Century B.C., the majority of canals were dug in a U or a V shape and then lined with gravel and clay to prevent collapse and to keep the water from being absorbed back into the ground (Hopkins 12). The Roman king Superbus chose to use heavy stone block instead of gravel and clay to build the Cloaca Maxima canal (Hopkins 9). The blocks were cut to 1.25 sq. m by .3 m rectangles, and were very heavy and difficult to handle (Hopkins 9). The use of these heavy stones to construct to Cloaca Maxima made the “construction so grueling that laborers attempted escape and even committed suicide (Hopkins 11). According to the Roman scholar Pliny, who lived from 23 A.D. to 79 A.D., "citizens were seeking to escape from their exhaustion [from building the Cloaca Maxima] by committing suicide wholesale, the king devised a strange remedy that was never contrived except on that one occasion. He crucified the bodies of all who had died by their own hands, leaving them to be gazed at by their fellow-citizens and also torn to pieces by beasts and birds of prey (Pliny, Natural History book XXXVI, section XXIV)." It was not necessary to use this overly laborious stone technique to build the canal, the simpler clay and gravel construction would have been sufficient (Hopkins 12). Historians speculate that the Roman kings chose to use stone to showcase the strength and grandeur of Rome (Hopkins 12). The canal proved that even nature itself was no match for the power of Rome (Hopkins 12).
The Cloaca Maxima canal was not completed until the late 6th century B.C., during the reign of King Superbus (Hopkins 9). When the Cloaca Maxima canal was completed, it was an open air canal that ran the length of the valley and flowed into the Tiber River (Hopkins 9). Wood planks were stretched across the Cloaca Maxima at several points (Hopkins 9). These planks provided support for the stone walls of the canal, and they were used as bridges, enabling pedestrians to cross the canal at various points (Hopkins 9).
As buildings were constructed in this valley, the Cloaca was rerouted in some areas to make room for the new construction (Hopkins 3). In the 2nd Century B.C., the Cloaca Maxima was enclosed with a stone arch, freeing up more space for buildings and roads (Masson 487).
The original plan to fill in the marsh did not account for the stream that ran through it, and the water from the stream continuously eroded the progress that they had made in filling in the marsh (Hopkins 8). After realizing that the stream which ran through the valley needed to be routed to the Tiber River, construction of the Cloaca Maxima canal began (Hopkins 8).
In the 6th Century B.C., the majority of canals were dug in a U or a V shape and then lined with gravel and clay to prevent collapse and to keep the water from being absorbed back into the ground (Hopkins 12). The Roman king Superbus chose to use heavy stone block instead of gravel and clay to build the Cloaca Maxima canal (Hopkins 9). The blocks were cut to 1.25 sq. m by .3 m rectangles, and were very heavy and difficult to handle (Hopkins 9). The use of these heavy stones to construct to Cloaca Maxima made the “construction so grueling that laborers attempted escape and even committed suicide (Hopkins 11). According to the Roman scholar Pliny, who lived from 23 A.D. to 79 A.D., "citizens were seeking to escape from their exhaustion [from building the Cloaca Maxima] by committing suicide wholesale, the king devised a strange remedy that was never contrived except on that one occasion. He crucified the bodies of all who had died by their own hands, leaving them to be gazed at by their fellow-citizens and also torn to pieces by beasts and birds of prey (Pliny, Natural History book XXXVI, section XXIV)." It was not necessary to use this overly laborious stone technique to build the canal, the simpler clay and gravel construction would have been sufficient (Hopkins 12). Historians speculate that the Roman kings chose to use stone to showcase the strength and grandeur of Rome (Hopkins 12). The canal proved that even nature itself was no match for the power of Rome (Hopkins 12).
The Cloaca Maxima canal was not completed until the late 6th century B.C., during the reign of King Superbus (Hopkins 9). When the Cloaca Maxima canal was completed, it was an open air canal that ran the length of the valley and flowed into the Tiber River (Hopkins 9). Wood planks were stretched across the Cloaca Maxima at several points (Hopkins 9). These planks provided support for the stone walls of the canal, and they were used as bridges, enabling pedestrians to cross the canal at various points (Hopkins 9).
As buildings were constructed in this valley, the Cloaca was rerouted in some areas to make room for the new construction (Hopkins 3). In the 2nd Century B.C., the Cloaca Maxima was enclosed with a stone arch, freeing up more space for buildings and roads (Masson 487).
Primary source: History channel (in italian) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUhbWhQQH0k
Cloaca Massima. History Channel, 2010. Video. YouTube. YouTube, 08 Mar. 2010. Web. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUhbWhQQH0k