>>1288386The Romans did make some canals but nowhere near of the length and number that came later. Canal construction kicked off in the 1600s, they had their heyday in the 1700s and enabled the industrial revolution to happen, and started to go into decline around the mid 1800s when trains took over. They were still used for commercial transportation as late as the 1990s. Some abandoned canals have been or are being restored to service, many have been filled in and built over and are gone for good
