The tap is now an object of daily use, whose presence in any house is now taken for granted. However, have you ever wondered about its history? It may seem like a minor question, but it is very interesting to find out how an everyday object that we use several times a day, originated, becoming a common denominator in our daily routine.
The origins of the term “rubinetto”
The first question worth answering is the origin of the term “rubinetto”. The word derives from the French language and precisely from “robinet”. This term is the diminutive of Robin, a proper name that in the past was given to the ram. Originally, the tap had a very particular shape, most often resembling the head of a ram. After learning the origin of the name, it’s time to discover everything about the invention of the tap and its history over the centuries.
The tap in Roman times
The first evidence of the existence of the tap dates back to Roman times. In fact, during the Roman Empire a sort of tap with male thread was invented. It was the beginning of a rudimentary plumbing system in which a cylindrical valve allowed the water to be pumped. This mixing system was characterized by the presence of 3 tanks: the first tank contained boiling water, the second tank very cold water and the third tank in which both waters mixed. The invention of what can be defined as the first prototype of the modern tap started the development of a real industry, encouraged also by the fact that, for that time, it was undoubtedly an invention that radically changed the daily life of the ancient Romans.
The tap from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century
The Middle Ages marked a serious deterioration of the water and sewage networks. This decay was also caused by the barbarian invasions, during which several Roman aqueducts were destroyed. The primary consequence of all these events was a significant worsening of the hygienic conditions and despite the difficult period for healthcare the use of the tap did not stop thanks to the habits in the monasteries. On the contrary, the shape of the taps radically changed. However, to get to the concept of modern bath taps, which have definitively changed people's daily lives, we had to wait for the nineteenth century. This invention acted as a springboard to study the possibility of adjusting the jet of water thanks to Thomas Grill, an English merchant who invented the tap spout aerator nozzle with female thread which permits adjusting the water flow, fact which is unbeknown to most people.
The tap in the contemporary age
The history of the tap, after the invention of its "threading", has continued over the years and another very important event is the one marked by the arrival of the ceramic disk single-lever mixer. With this terminology we refer to the water tap we usually turn off and on in any house nowadays. Its invention and its consequent launch on the market took place in the second half of the '70s. The evolution of the tap has not ended and in a more or less near future, there certainly will be other steps forward. Another conviction is that this everyday object will continue being part of our daily routine more than ever.