When we think of the Romans and Etruscans, we imagine great battles, architectural marvels, and illustrious societies teeming with art, culture, and philosophy. Less often, perhaps, do we consider the more practical, less glamorous side of these civilizations, like how they “invented” the sewage system: glitzy it ain’t, but what would we do without it? 

The Etruscans laid the groundwork for sewage management, demonstrating an impressive understanding of hydraulics: they created intricate underground tunnels called cuniculi, that performed the dual function of protecting their cities from flooding and serving as primitive sewage systems to channel wastewater away from populated areas.