The large ancient Roman sewer completed around 500 BC was called which name?

• A. Cloaca Regina
• B. Acqua Claudia
• C. Cloaca Maxima
• D. Aqua Traiana

Answer: (C)

Rome solved marshy ground and flooding with a massive drainage channel, an early feat in urban hydraulics. The largest and most famous of these early works, completed around 500 BC, was the Great Sewer, known today as the Cloaca Maxima. It served to drain the Forum valley and surrounding areas, carrying waste and stormwater to the Tiber and showing how Romans organized city-wide infrastructure long before modern plumbing. This name translates to “Great Sewer,” perfectly describing its purpose and scale as the city’s primary drainage system. Other water-management structures in Rome, such as Cloaca Regina (another sewer) and the aqueducts Aqua Claudia and Aqua Traiana, serve different functions—sewers versus bringing in fresh water—so the Cloaca Maxima fits the description of a large ancient Roman sewer best.