For centuries we have known that water is the most essential element for life. Water is odorless, nearly colorless, and tasteless in its truest form. An element present in our body, present in the food we eat and the drinks we drink. We use it to clean ourselves, our clothes, dishes, and pretty much everything around us. All life forms need it, and if they don't have enough, they die. Political controversies have centered on it. In some places, it is precious and incredibly difficult to obtain. In others, it's incredibly easy to get it and then waste it. Water became a commodity with the Roman Empire, obviously it was necessary for their existence, so the Roman Empire had to find a way to successfully control and manage the use of water. In ancient times the Roman Empire was the most powerful civilization of its time. Rome, thanks to water, was able to make brilliant progress in the movement and use of water. The Romans were known to use a large amount of water, the exact usage is unknown, however, early opinions on the amount of water delivered by man-made rivers known as aqueducts, the Latin for "conveying water" ranges from as little as 322,000 cubic meters per day (Herschel, 1913) up to a maximum of 1,010,623 (Ashby, 1935). The Romans first turned to the Tiber River, local springs, and shallow wells for drinking water; but the water obtained from these sources became polluted and became inadequate for the city's growing population. It was these needs that led to the development of aqueduct technology. Aqueducts were one of the key advances that eliminated the challenge to the empire's authority to maintain a supply of fresh water to its people. Furthermore, engineering... at the heart of the card... will continue to play an important role in helping to shape and reform a civilization. From everything I have gathered I have come to the conclusion that without water or aqueducts the Roman Empire would not be seen as the spectacular culture it was. Works Cited Ashby, Thomas and IA Richmond. The Aqueducts of Ancient Rome. Oxford: Clarendon, 1935. Bruun, Christer. The water supply of ancient Rome: a study of Roman imperial administration. Helsinki: Societas Scientiarum Fennica, 1991. Bryson, Bill. At Home: A Brief History of Private Life. New York: Doubleday, 2010. Herschel, Clemens. The stratagems; and The Aqueducts of Rome. London: Heinemann, 1913. “Aqueduct.” Ancient Greece and Rome: an encyclopedia for students. Ed. Carroll Moulton. vol. 4. New York: Sons of Charles Scribner, 1998. 130-131. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Network. February 20. 2012.