The History of Water Pipes The earliest known evidence of a pipe used for plumbing was found in Mesopotamia and is estimated to have been made around 3000 BC The pipes were made of clay mixed with short pieces of straw. This was the first type of pipe to be used to transport water from different places. Both brass and copper pipes have been found in Egypt, believed to have been constructed around 2500 BC The Romans used lead pipes, extensive use of lead pipes by joining sheets of lead into pipes to carry the water supply and waste. Two millennia ago the ancient Romans used large aqueducts to transport water from higher elevations by building the aqueducts in graduated segments that allowed gravity to push the water until it reached its destination, then using the same idea in building lead pipes underground. Before the advent of durable plastic materials, cast iron and ductile iron pipes were long and a lower cost alternative to copper, but special non-conductive fittings must be used where transitions to other metal pipes are to be made, except end and universal fittings, so as to avoid corrosion due to electrochemical reactions (reactions from exposure to air) between different metals see galvanic cell Hundreds of these were built throughout Europe and overseas and together with the mills were considered the anchor of salvation of the Roman Empire. The Chinese also used aqueducts and pipes for public works. The famous Han Dynasty court ordered the engineer in 145 AD to build a series of pipe networks and square chain pumps outside the capital Luoyang. These chain pumps distributed water and waste throughout the city easily and quietly at an economical cost, with maintenance... in the middle of the paper... connecting the lead itself. What often causes confusion is the large amount of evidence of widespread lead poisoning, particularly among those who would have had ready access to running water. This was an unfortunate result of lead's use in cookware and as an additive to processed foods and drinks, such as a preservative in wine. Roman inscriptions on lead pipes provided information about the owner to prevent water theft. Cast iron and ductile iron pipes have long been a low-cost alternative to copper, before the advent of durable plastic materials, but it is necessary to use special non-conductive fittings where transitions need to be made to other metal pipes, for example with the exception of the terminal fittings, to avoid corrosion phenomena due to electrochemical reactions between dissimilar metals, see cell. Bronze fittings and short pipe segments are commonly used in combination with various materials.