A large tank or container used to store water, often built underground or as part of a building's plumbing system.
From Latin 'cisterna' (reservoir), derived from 'cista' (box or basket). The Romans developed sophisticated cistern systems to store water in cities and aqueducts.
Roman cisterns were engineering marvels that allowed cities to store massive amounts of water—some could hold millions of gallons—and the technology spread through the empire so effectively that archaeologists can still find intact cisterns across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
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