In ancient Rome, only the very wealthy were able to have water piped directly into their homes. The lower classes had to rely on public fountain water for drinking, bathing, cleaning, or preparing food. The upper class could afford to have pipes, similar to those which brought water to the public fountains, carry water from the aqueducts directly to their homes. They also built a pool in their domus (house) called an impluvium which collected rain water and sent it down into a cistern. Although the rain water was not used for drinking or preparing food, it was used for household tasks such as cleaning clothes.
The lower (and sometimes middle) class had to rely solely on the public water fountains for their daily water needs. That meant that they would have to walk to a fountain, fill up huge buckets of water, and return home. Obviously, this was not the most convenient or ideal situation, yet they had no other choice unless they chose to hire an Aquarius. This laborer would actually deliver the water from the fountains to the family who paid him.
According to http://www.aquarius.arollo.com/mythology-history, Aquarius was the god of water who showered the earth with water when necessary. Pictures of this god were found on some stones dating back to the ancient Babylonian Empire.
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(modified by CB)
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