Cleanliness has deep roots in human civilization. The word hygiene is derived from the name of an ancient Greek goddess. Hygeia, the goddess of health and cleanliness, was said to prevent disease, and when an epidemic threatened, the Greeks went with alacrity to her temples. Ancient Romans worshipped Hygeia too, and Rome was famous for its advanced hygienic standards. Historians laud the Romans for both building aqueducts that carried fresh water into Rome and public toilets that collected waste. Dotting the city were comfortable bathhouses, where people would gather to loll in the waters. Perhaps it was here that Romans first earned their reputation as a loquacious people, for they would pass idle time chatting with friends.