Water in ancient Rome was an inseparable part of the life of the townspeople. The fountains that adorn the city, the terms in which the Romans kept the body clean and gave rest to the soul, Naumachia (sea battles), where scenes of ship battles were played - all this prescribed to provide the city with a huge amount of water. The Roman emperors, making considerable efforts to meet the needs of their citizens, to win their support and beautify the Eternal City, did not spare resources for the construction of plumbing systems. So there were aqueducts of rome.

The aqueducts of ancient Rome are recognized as the flawless plumbing system of that era, a marvel of engineering. With the help of it, water flowed into fountains, baths, private houses of wealthy citizens. The Romans used water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, public latrines were flushed all the time.

The principle of operation of the aqueducts of Rome

In essence, the aqueducts of Rome are a system of irrigation canals stretched through different landscapes. Water from the source entered the aqueduct, from it - into a special sump "castella", and was distributed through pipes to the city. If the water supply was not built underground, then it was mounted in arched spans and closed from above so that the water remained clean.

The scheme for constructing the aqueducts of Rome is as follows: first, the end point of the water supply was outlined, then, moving from end to beginning, they drew a map of the area, registering the relief and choosing the best path. With wooden piles, they marked the line of the future highway and began preparing the terrain - they dug trenches, cut down trees, dug tunnels in the mountains, built bridges. After that, block by block, water was pulled from the source.

Aqueduct in Rome

The aqueducts of Rome are more than 350 km of aqueducts. And only a small part of them was located underground. During the construction of the aqueducts of Rome, pozzolanic concrete was used - a mixture of concrete with lime and volcanic ash, strong durable material, which made it possible for many aqueducts to survive to this day. In order for water to continuously flow into the city, the correct slope of the couloir was needed. If the builders came across a mountain on the way, it was necessary to dig tunnels - the aqueduct of Rome, bypassing the mountain, would not have the necessary slope.

Famous aqueducts of Rome

For 538 years, 11 water systems were built in Rome, which became a model for other countries:

Aqueduct Aqua Appia

The Aqua Appia aqueduct of Rome was built in 312 BC with the support of the city rulers Appius Claudius and Gaius Plautius. Appius drew up a plan for the future plumbing, and Gaius led research work: in the Sabinsky mountains, 15 kilometers from the capital, he discovered a source of clean water, studied its volume, and conducted a survey of the population on the topic of quality. But all honors went to Appius Claudius.

Aqua Appia almost entirely passed underground, its length was 16 kilometers. The open part of the structure 90 m long, which was an arched system, originated from the Kapensky Gate. The water flowed all the way to the Bull Market, where it was collected in tanks and distributed throughout the city.

Aqueducts of Rome: Anio Vetus

The name of this aqueduct of Rome comes from the river Anio, the name "old" aqueduct acquired after the construction of a new aqueduct - Anio Novus in 38. The construction of this aqueduct, which became the second in Rome after the Aqua Appia, began in 272 and was completed in 269 BC. The construction was begun under the censors of Mania Curia Denta and Lucius Papirius Pretext and was carried out with funds received after the victory over Pyrrhus, completed under Mark Fulvius Flaccus.

In this aqueduct of Rome, water came from the Anio River, a tributary of the Tiber. The length of the aqueduct was 64 km, it almost completely ran underground. The aqueduct has been repaired several times. For the first time - under Quintus Marcius Rex in the second century BC, the second time - under Mark Vipsanias Agrippa in 33 BC, and the third time under the emperor Octavian Augustus from 11 to 4 years BC. After the construction of Anio Novus, water from the old aqueduct began to be used mainly for watering gardens.

Aqueducts of Rome: Aqua Marcia

Aqueducts of Rome: Aqua Marcia

Rome's Aqua Marcia aqueduct, 91 kilometers long, was built in 144 BC, it was filled from a number of sources near the Aniene River. For the cultivation of wine, the most appropriate Romans recognized the water just from this aqueduct. A few centuries later, the emperor Diocletian led another branch of the aqueduct to his terms, and Caracalla to his own.

Aqueduct Aqua Tepula

Rome's Aqua Tepula aqueduct, 18 kilometers long, was built in 125 BC. The water in it was at least plus 17°, hence the name, since tepula means "warm". In 33 BC, the general Marcus Agrippa combined the aqueduct with another, the Aqua Iulia. The waters of the Marcius, Claudius and Anio Novus aqueducts mixed at the site of Porta Maggiore, from where the water from the Tepula aqua flowed along the same route as from the Marcius aqueduct.

The construction of the water supply began under Mark Vipsanias Agrippa in 33 BC, a few years later, between the eleventh and fourth years BC, under Emperor Augustus, the aqueduct was restored.

Aqueducts of Rome: Aqueduct Julia

The length of this aqueduct of Rome is 23 km, it was combined with the Aqua Tepula aqueduct, built in 125 BC. The source was in the Alban mountains. The water from the aqua Julia also provided the monumental fountain of Alexander Severus.

Aqueducts of Rome: Agrippa Aqueduct

Agrippa was also the creator of the sixth, still functioning aqueduct Aqua Virgo. An underground 20-kilometer aqueduct was built in the nineteenth year BC. The name Virgo, meaning "virgin", is related to the myth that a young girl showed Agrippa the place where there was a source of crystal clear water. At present, Rome's Aqua Virgo aqueduct provides water for the Barcaccia fountains and the Fountain of the Four Rivers.

Aqueduct Aqua Alsietina

Rome's Aqua Alsietina aqueduct, which dates back to 2 BC, was supplied by the waters of the modern lakes of Bracciano and Martignano. Not absolutely pure water of Alsietina was used to fill the Naumachium of Emperor Augustus - artificial reservoirs for staging ship battles. The same aqueduct, stretched through 358 arches, irrigated the gardens of Julius Caesar.

The construction of the Aqua Claudia aqueduct in Rome began during the reign of Caligula, completed in 52 AD under Claudius. The source was the Aniene River, in parallel, the March aqueduct was built, with which they were combined in the Aqueduct Park. The monumental arch of the aqueduct turned out to be part of the Praenestine Gate. A branch of the Claudius aqueduct called Celimontano provided water to the Golden House of Nero.

Aqueducts of Rome: Aqua Claudia

Anio Novus

This 87 km long aqueduct of Rome got its name from the river Aniene, a tributary of the Tiber. Anio Novus, which became the replacement of Anio Vetus, was built at the same time as the Claudian aqueduct and has the same sources with it. The construction of the Claudius and Anio Novus aqueducts began under Caligula in 38 and finished in 52 under the emperor Claudius. Because the water from the river was muddy, it was originally directed to the purification pools - piscina limaria. Approximately 14 km of this aqueduct were laid above the ground, 3-story arches reached 32 meters.

Aqua Traiana

Aqua Traiana was built in 109 by order of the emperor Trojan. The aqueduct was supplied with water from sources near Lake Bracciano and sent it to the Trastevere area. During the wars, the aqueduct was repeatedly destroyed, but then restored.

After the restoration by Pope Paul V, the aqueduct changed its name to Aqua Paola.

The aqueducts of Rome are very ancient. Aqua Alexandrina was built in 226 to supply water to the baths of Emperor Alexander. A new aqueduct was needed to provide the thermal baths of Alexander Severus on the Champ de Mars (between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona). The length of the aqueduct was 22.5 kilometers. Part of the aqueduct survived in the Roman region of Pignattara.

Aqueducts of Rome: Aqueduct of the Aqua Alexandrina in Rome

Plumbing and the policies of the Caesars

It is no secret that in order to preserve peace, tranquility and satisfaction of citizens in Ancient Rome, there was a universal idea of ​​"Panem et circences" - Bread and circuses. So any ruler tried to gain popularity and support of the people. To this one can easily add another significant component in domestic politics having the power of ancient Rome - providing the city drinking water in innumerable volumes.

Water has long been recognized as one of the main components for maintaining human life, and it is no coincidence that all large cities in antiquity were built just on the banks of rivers. In addition to the water of the Tiber, the ancient Romans used many sources, the names of which have come down to this time from ancient literary documents or discovered through archaeological excavations. Many of them are heard, for example, Fons Lupercales - a source near the grotto, where the she-wolf nursed the twins Romulus and Remus with her milk, or Fons Juturnae - a source in the Roman Forum, where two brave brothers Castor and Pollux watered their horses after the battle with the Etruscans, and many other sources. But this was not enough, because Rome was a special city and the aqueducts of Rome were its necessity.

Roman baths - hygiene, culture and lifestyle

As a sovereign city, Rome was a symbol of pomp and wealth. In the era of its heyday, about a million people lived in the city, and any of them accounted for up to a thousand liters of water per day! For amusement, ship battles were held in the Naumakhia structures intentionally erected for this purpose. The most famous of them is Naumachia Augusta, built on Trastevere.

The ancient Romans, taking as a basis the culture and achievements of the Etruscan and ancient Greek civilizations, used with great pleasure baths and natural water sources. But this, at first glance, a simple hygienic procedure received the new kind. The ancient Roman Baths were transformed into places of entertainment and idle pastime. Libraries, gyms, baths, steam rooms and various pools, massage rooms were arranged in the terms. In addition, the baths housed trading shops, luxurious pavilions for drinking and eating, as well as corners for religious cults.

Aqueducts were an important achievement of ancient Roman engineers: thanks to the construction of these structures, the Romans managed to establish an ideal water supply system for cities that require a large flow of water.

The aqueduct is an irrigation canal that runs through roads and rivers: water was delivered to cities through such canals. If the aqueduct was stretched on the surface of the earth, then the top was blocked in order to keep the water clean. Often on the way of such ancient pipelines there were ravines or pits: then the architects worked on the creation of durable and almost airy structures. Arched spans decorated and complemented the landscape. The arches went in several tiers: this helped to make the building especially stable.

The oldest water pipes in the world are known - these are Egyptian and Middle Eastern structures that supplied water to the ancient states, Egypt and Nineveh.

Roman aqueducts: history

The most outstanding in terms of the grandeur of architectural thought and the complexity of the designs were the aqueducts of Ancient Rome. Until now, tourists can see on excursions some well-preserved water pipes in European cities.

In the 6th century BC, the inhabitants of the millionth city of Rome had an urgent need to build an aqueduct to supply drinking and technical water to the city. The townspeople did not receive enough water, in addition, water was required to provide thermal baths, Roman saunas.

Aquia Apia was the first bridge with a length of 16 km. Then the Romans built the Marcius and Claudius aqueducts: they regularly supplied the city with water.

Notable ancient aqueducts

1. The best managed to save the 275-meter Garda aqueduct, located in one of the French provinces near the large city of Nimes. On the wall of the structure, the architects left an inscription, according to which scientists managed to establish the approximate time of construction and the initial height of the bridge - the aqueduct was higher than the famous Colosseum.

Masons worked on the construction of the structure, led by the son-in-law of Emperor Augustus. The bridge with numerous arches was built from stone blocks: the weight of some of them reached 6 tons. This aqueduct supplied water from the Fountain del Jur river: despite the absence of decorative elements, the bridge is very functional and simple in design.

A long and strong aqueduct pulled water over a very difficult terrain: the bridge architects were able to accurately calculate the bearing parts and arrange the arches according to the law of strict symmetry. A three-tiered aqueduct consists of several rows of arches placed one above the other.

Among the surviving aqueducts of Ancient Rome, it was this one that was intensively used as a highway for a long time, but due to the deterioration of the structure, the bridge was closed to traffic. Today, car traffic is prohibited along the aqueduct - only pedestrians are allowed through.

A special highlight of the aqueduct is its unique way of construction: a large number of stone blocks rests only on the jewelry fit of the stone. The construction does not use cement or other fastening building components, but the blocks fit flawlessly together. On the block in the second tier, the researchers found the name "Veraniy" carved on the stone - perhaps this name belongs to the architect of the bridge.

2. Among other aqueducts of Ancient Rome, the Carthaginian water pipe is known - now only ruins remain of it, and once it supplied water to the city from the rivers of the Tunisian Atlas. This powerful structure had a length of 132 km. Streams of water flowed naturally, along the slopes of the relief. The aqueduct itself was laid by the inhabitants of Carthage, and the Romans completed the construction. Several times the building was destroyed and rebuilt.

3. An ancient water bridge 30 meters high is located in the Spanish province of Segovia - it stretches for 17 kilometers. One of the spans of the former bridge, which has now been preserved, can be seen in the city center. The flow from this water supply system was first directed to large cisterns, then water from the reservoirs went through other intracity canals. The construction was destroyed by the Moors in the XI century, but then the aqueduct was quickly restored.

4. Constantinople was a large and well-developed city, where there was also a great need for a supply of clean water. Even in the northern lands of Africa, you can find the aqueducts of Ancient Rome - the Romans built a public water supply system in this territory. Now, in the vicinity of Istanbul, ruins are still shown to tourists - a small fragment of the building. It was one of the famous and powerful aqueducts - Valens, which was also reconstructed many times. The water supply was distinguished by the classical Roman style, the bridge was decorated with arches, from one of which the famous tourist route- Ataturk Boulevard.

5. Ancient engineers were able not only to supply the city with water, but also to develop a successful moisture conservation system. More than 40 reservoirs worked in ancient Istanbul, some of them are still functioning.

Tourists go to Istanbul to look at the unique underground tank hall with 336 columns: this is the Basilica Cistern, located near the Sophia Temple. The water storage was rebuilt for almost a quarter of a century, and this reservoir was used for more than 1000 years. Now it is a real museum of man-made wonders, attracting travelers from all over the world.

6. The aqueduct in Ephesus is also interesting - ancient city where the white marble temple of Artemis was erected. After the wars, the city was in the power of the Romans, who sought to improve all their allotments. In Ephesus, not only baths and libraries, schools and a theater were built, but also a water supply system with an aqueduct was built. The water pipeline was made of ceramic material, it passed above and below the ground. The water main was assembled from pipe sections interconnected by functional raster connections.

Water pipes of ancient Rome

It is quite possible to see the ancient aqueducts and visit the most interesting places related to the history of Rome - it is enough to purchase an affordable tourist package from the travel agency website. This is an extensive selection of tours and the most comfortable travel conditions, pleasant experience from tours and great service.

In Rome for tourists. We will tell you how to get to it, what to do in the park and what to look for.

To be honest, I have a weakness for ancient engineering structures. Five years ago, I specially went from to to look at the ruins of an ancient amphitheater. Two years ago, I walked for hours near. So in Rome he continued the tradition. Fortunately here with the ruins. They are already at every step, but the aqueduct park beckoned me. That's why.

What hides the aqueduct park in Rome

In the southeastern part of Rome there is a park where the ruins of 7 ancient aqueducts have been preserved at once (on the map). There were 11 of them in total and they provided the capital of the empire with fresh water from the nearest mountains. Survived to this day:

1. Anio Vetus
   The water pipeline in Rome is 64 kilometers long. Second oldest. It was erected between 272 and 269 BC. Remember the common phrase about the "Pyrrhic victory"? So, the money for construction came from the Romans after the victory over the same king Pyrrhus.
2. Aqua Marcia
   The third Roman aqueduct in chronology and the first in length. It takes water from the Anio River, which is 91 kilometers from the capital of Italy.
3. Aqua Tepula
   Small aqueduct. Built in 125 BC. Its feature is that it brought warm water to the city.
4. Aqua Julia
   The aqueduct is 23 kilometers long. He supplied the city hills of Caelius and Aventine with water from the Alban Mountains.
5. Aqua Felice
   Pope Sixtus V built this aqueduct in 1586 to bring drinking water to his villa on a Roman hill.
6. Aqua Claudia
   The Roman emperor Caligula began to build the aqueduct in 38, the emperor Claudius finished 14 years later. Part of the same aqueduct can be seen at the Porta Maggiore. Previously, they were part of the water-bearing structure.
7. Anio Novus
   The 87-kilometer aqueduct supplied muddy water to Rome, so it was first settled in special pools and only after that it got to the townspeople.

What to do in the aqueduct park in Rome

• Have a picnic
  Buy food at the nearest supermarket and go to the park for lunch. Ancient ruins will prompt topics for heartfelt conversations.
• Go for a run
  The park has paths, it is large enough, and thanks to the ancient ruins it is not boring to run around it.
• Organize a photo session
  It is impossible to find a similar park in the world. And this is not just a beautiful turn, it is. Photos with ancient aqueducts will decorate the collection of any traveler.
• Come watch the sunset
  Sunset can be seen in the aqueduct park. The sun sets right behind one of the beautiful arched structures.

Last modified: September 30, 2018

Picnic area with real museum exhibits under open sky located near the center of Rome, in its southeastern part. The Aqueduct Park (Parco degli Acquedotti) in 1988 was included in the regional park Appia Antica (Appia Antica Parco), although the reconstruction plan was conceived as early as 1965. In the 1970s, the territory was cleared of barracks, but for several years it remained simply abandoned and very tempting for new illegal buildings. In 1986, citizens who were not indifferent to the historical heritage of Rome created a Committee that dealt with the issues of the park. Thanks to his activities, it was possible to preserve the antiquity of the buildings located on the territory in an untouched, “pure” form.

There are quite a few tourists in the Aqueduct Park, so touching and approaching Eternity here is quite simple. Perhaps there is some charm in this, when contact with Greatness occurs one on one. On weekends, local residents rest here, and in the morning and evening on weekdays the area is somewhat enlivened by amateurs. healthy lifestyle lives that run, ride bikes, play tennis and golf. Dog breeders and even gardeners do not leave their attention to the park (on the territory there are vegetable beds and meadows planted with potatoes).

The ruins of aqueducts are located on the park square. Here you can see the preserved ancient water conduits, which are still active. Nearby are fountains with high-quality drinking water, and pine trees lined up in a row resemble the outlines of aqueduct arches.

The Aqueduct Park is unique in Italy. Located in a picturesque valley, seven of the eleven Roman aqueducts are located on its territory:

• Anio Vetus (Aqua Anio Vetus) - an aqueduct built underground, received the name "old" (vetus) after the construction of the Anio Novus (new) conduit;
• Marcia (Aqua Marcia) is the longest supplier of the purest water in the city. Despite its venerable age and numerous reconstructions, it functions to this day;
• Tepula (Aqua Tepula) - interesting fact is that initially the water entering Rome through its system was warm and intended for technical purposes, as evidenced by the name of the conduit. Subsequently, Aqua Tepula was connected to other conduits;
• Julia (Aqua Iulia) - the aqueduct, at one time, provided Caelius and Aventine;
• Felice (Aqua Felice) - represents a kind of "remake" and is the youngest still operating aqueduct. From certain angles, you can see three aqueducts fed by mountain water at once - Aqua Marcia - the oldest and destroyed, Aqua Felice - relatively young, and Aqua Claudio - a majestic monument of the era;
• Claudia (Aqua Claudia) - the ruins of the building allow you to see the construction of the ground part of the Roman aqueduct from afar. The structure was restored and reconstructed more than once, but, unfortunately, it has not been completely preserved to this day;
• Anio Novus (Aqua Anio Novus) - the aqueduct, due to the construction of purification pools, helped to some extent solve the problem of muddy water entering the city.

Having visited the Aqueduct Park, you can see the famous and most significant for Ancient Rome Appian Way located here, the history of which goes far into the past (4th century BC). Speaking of a more modern period, it should be noted that the territory of the park has repeatedly become a place for filming films. Famous paintings showing the beauties of the Aqueduct Park are such as (1959), (1962), "Marquis del Grillo" (1981), "The Great Beauty" (2013), as well as the TV series "Rome", familiar to lovers of the history of Rome.

There are many interesting objects in the park that deserve attention or a visit. Here is the parish church of St. Polycarp, a roadside diner located in the area of ​​the old railway station, a building preserved from the 13th century and an artificial ditch known from the 12th century. V aqueduct park there are tombs and a medieval tower located at the intersection of the Claudius and Marcius aqueducts. Villas of prominent figures of the Roman era have been discovered here and excavations are still underway.

The main achievement of the engineering thought of ancient Rome is often recognized as the construction of aqueducts. It was these structures that performed the most important function of water supply for cities that consume more and more water. But in a narrow sense, an aqueduct is understood not as the entire water supply system, but only as part of it, which is a crossing over rivers, ravines, roads. And it is these parts of the complex water supply system that currently attract thousands of tourists. So, today we will look at the Roman aqueducts.

History of Roman aqueducts

The construction of aqueducts began in Rome. The population of this city exceeded one million inhabitants, and there was a need to supply the city not only with water for drinking, but also for technical purposes. Here it is worth remembering the desire of the Romans to create widespread comfort and the abundant distribution of Roman thermal baths. Of course, it was possible to take water from wells, but the growth in consumption made it necessary to make a direct supply of water from mountain sources.

The aqueduct in Rome appeared already in the 4th century BC, and by the 3rd century BC. there were already 11 of them. In the 1st century AD, the famous Claudius aqueduct was built, which, at a height of 27 meters, was 30 km shorter than the old Marcius aqueduct (total length of about 60 kilometers). The reduction in distance was achieved through the multiple use of a system of tunnels and bridges.

Claudius Aqueduct

Pont du Gard in Nimes (France)

Another famous Roman aqueduct was built in the 2nd century AD in southern France across the Garde River. Its modern name is the Pont du Gard or Garde bridge. The aqueduct provided water to the city of Nimes. The bridge is the only remnant of the complex Nimes aqueduct system that has survived to this day, stretching for 50 kilometers. The bridge is 49 meters high and 275 meters long. There are three arched levels. The first level consists of 6 arches. The central arch of this level, connecting the banks of the river, has a span of 24.4 meters. The second level already has 11 arches. The last third level, intended for water pipe, has 35 smaller arches. The Pont du Gard is still in use as a bridge crossing.

Pont du Gard

Roman aqueduct in Segovia (Spain)

The next aqueduct is located in the Spanish city of Segovia. The height of the aqueduct is 30 meters, the length is 17 kilometers. One of the surviving spans is now located right in the center of the city. In order to provide central water supply in the old days, water from this aqueduct entered the central cistern, from where it was already distributed to other intracity systems. In the 11th century, this aqueduct was partially destroyed by the Moors, but in the 15th century it was restored and still provides water to the regions of Segovia.

Aqueduct in Segovia

Roman aqueducts were built even in Africa. Water supply was provided by Caesarea (aqueduct 23 km), Maktar (9 km), Carthage (80 km).

As Julius Frontinus (the chief water supplier of Rome at the beginning of the 2nd century) noted, aqueducts are the main evidence of the greatness of the Roman Empire, and they cannot even be compared with the useless Egyptian pyramids and other idle buildings of Greece. Indeed, these water supply systems gave impetus to the development of civilization, rooted the construction of baths, pools, fountains. And given the fact that some of these buildings from the time of the greatness of ancient Rome function to this day, one has only to be surprised and enjoy their greatness and the genius of engineering thought of ancient times.