This is Rome’s Cloaca Maxima – a sewer system built over 2,600 years ago.

Built in the late 6th century BC, during the reign of the last Roman emperors, the construction was officially started under King Tarquinius Priscus. The Cloaca Maxima is a living testament to the technical level of the Etruscans, especially with the use of the dome (arch) – an element that helped the system to be sustainable and stable for millennia.

The most amazing thing: the Cloaca Maxima is still in operation today – making it the oldest sewer system in the world still in operation after more than 2,600 years.