PREHISTORIC PLUMBING

4000-3000 B.C. – First water pipes

According to historians, Mohenjo-Daro, in modern-day Pakistan and India, invented

sewers around 3500 B.C. Many other innovations were also invented during the Indus
River Valley Civilization, which was also known as the Harappan Civilization, during this
time period, including a system of standardized weights and measures and the
production of metals such as copper, bronze, and tin as well. 

A masonry conduit is used to carry water from wells to individual houses in this area.
From the houses, wastewater was drained into covered drains that lined the main
streets. As even the smallest houses had connections to public drainage systems,
historians believe cleanliness was a priority for this civilization. 

Figure 1 Drainage system in Indus River Valley

2500 B.C. – First copper pipes

Copper alloys were created by the Egyptians, leading to early piping systems. Copper
tools and pipes were created and used by the smiths for irrigation systems. With these
tools, they were able to control the flow of water from the Nile River. In times when the
water was too high, their crops flooded, and in times when it was too low, their fields
were parched. 

Copper plumbing and drainage systems were discovered in 1994 when archaeologists
excavated the remains of a pyramid's funerary complex. The pyramid itself is estimated
to have been built around 4500 years ago, between 2600 and 2500 B.C.

Egyptians believed that the dead enjoyed the same luxuries as the living. They
developed copper pipes in order to build sophisticated bathrooms with irrigation and
sewage systems inside the pyramids. Believing the dead required food, clothing and
other such essentials in the afterlife, Egyptians installed bathrooms in their tombs as
well. Around this time, sitting toilets appeared in the Harappa civilization (now India),
although it is not known exactly who invented the toilet.

Figure 2 A stone bath with plastered sides and drain.

References:
[1] The “Very Not Boring” History of Plumbing. (2020, June 20). BigRentz.
https://www.bigrentz.com/blog/very-not-boring-history-plumbing/

[2] Flood, J. B. C. (2016, August 24). When was Indoor Plumbing Invented? The
History of Plumbing Timeline.

https://www.johncflood.com/our-blog/2016/august/when-was-indoor-plumbing-invented-
the-history-of-plumbing-timeline/