A brief history of aqueducts and conduit resistance laws

The history presented here, which must necessarily be brief compared to the vast history of fluid mechanics in general, and of aqueducts in particular, is divided into six sections. The first is devoted to ancient investigations and applications of flows in channels and pipes. This is followed by a section devoted to a brief history of Roman aqueducts, still the object of much admiration today. It should be pointed out that, with the decline of the Roman Empire, the administrative capabilities necessary to develop and maintain such water systems was lost. It would be a long time before the kind of solution that the Romans had given to the problem could be taken up and applied again. Three sections are devoted to these issues, respectively on the history of flows and resistance laws from the Middle Ages to the 17th century, from the 18th to the 19th century and then to the most recent developments and studies, some of which are still being carried out at important internationally renowned universities. The various references given in the bibliography will enable the interested reader to learn more about some of the issues discussed here.

Finally, following on from the story presented above, the last section takes a closer look at the particular case of the Apulian aqueduct, still an impressive achievement to this day and even more so at the time of its construction, the subject of international studies and comparisons due to the size and boldness of its engineering solutions.

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