Cloaca
“A sewer, a drain. Rome was intersected by numerous sewers, some of which were of an immense size: the most celebrated of them was the cloaca maxima, the construction of which is ascribed to Tarquinius Priscus. It was formed by three tiers of arces, one within the other, the innermost of which is a semicircular vault of 14 feet in diameter. The manner of its construction is shown in the annexed cut. Under the republic, the administration of the sewers was entrusted to the censors; but under the empire, particular officers were appointed for that purpose, called cloacarum curatores, who employed condemned criminals in cleansing and repairing them.” — Smith, 1873
Source
William Smith, A School Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1873) 87
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