wrote in message
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And they are all dead now...

No, the Romans didn't "try" aquaducts - they built and used them for
centuries.

http://www.inforoma.it/feature.php?lookup=aqueduct

It has been calculated that in imperial times, when the city's population
was well over a million, the distribution system was able to provide over
one cubic meter of water per day for each inhabitant: more than we are
accustomed to use nowadays.

The aquaduct system was physically destroyed by barbarians who invaded the
country.