In 312 BCE Rome's first aqueductconstructed, the 16km long Aqua Appia.I,the Romans who have rightly gained celebrity as the aqueduct builders par excellence. Hugely ambitious engineering projects successfully mastered all kinds of difficult and dangerous terrain and made their magnificent arched aqueducts a common sight throughout their empire, supplying towns with water to meet not only basic needs but also those of large public baths, decorative fountains (nymphaea) and private villas.