Cloaca Maxima

Cloaca Maxima

A map of central Rome during the time of the Roman Empire, showing the Cloaca Maxima in red
Cloaca Maxima Shown within Augustan Rome
Click on the map for a fullscreen view
Coordinates	41°53′20″N 12°28′49″E / 41.88889°N 12.48028°E / 41.88889; 12.48028

The Cloaca Maxima (Latin: Cloāca Maxima [kɫɔˈaːka ˈmaksɪma], lit. 'Greatest Sewer') or, less often, Maxima Cloaca, is one of the world's earliest sewage systems. Its name is related to that of Cloacina, a Roman goddess.^[1] Built during either the Roman Kingdom or early Roman Republic, it was constructed in Ancient Rome in order to drain local marshes and remove waste from the city. It carried effluent to the River Tiber, which ran beside the city. The sewer started at the Forum Augustum and ended at the Ponte Rotto and Ponte Palatino. It began as an open air canal, but it developed into a much larger sewer over the course of time. Agrippa renovated and reconstructed much of the sewer. This would not be the only development in the sewers, by the first century AD all eleven Roman aqueducts were connected to the sewer. After the Roman Empire fell the sewer still was used. By the 19th century, it had become a tourist attraction. Some parts of the sewer are still used today. During its heyday, it was highly valued as a sacred symbol of Roman culture and Roman engineering.