The archæology of Rome, Part 8 : $b The aqueductsParker, John Henry
History
The archæology of Rome, Part 8 : $b The aqueducts
Parker, John Henry
Rome -- Antiquities
But when the line was altered, it was carried still further to the north,
and it enters Rome under the garden of the French Academy (the Villa
Medici); it here is marked by two _cippi_ (2088, 2089), with inscriptions
upon them, and under the garden is a large reservoir very deep, level
with the ground in the great foss on the outside, and with the Campus
Martius inside the walls. It was then divided into two branches, one
of which went along the Via de Condotti, the other along the Via del
Nazzareno (83, 1108*) to the Fountain of Trevi, rebuilt in A.D. 1735
(1356); originally, it went to the north end of the Septa, near the
Pantheon. Some remains of this were shewn in 1871 in the Piazza di S.
Ignazio (2326). The _specus_ can be seen, with an inscription upon it
recording repairs by the Emperor Claudius (82), in the yard behind a
house near the Palazzo del Buffalo.
The plan of the ground at the sources of the Aqua Virgo (or de Trevi), is
given in 1968*, and Sections of it in 1979*.
VII. THE ALSEATINA.
This aqueduct was made by Augustus in the year of Rome 763, A.D. 10,
to bring water for his great Naumachia, or sham naval battles in the
Trastevere; the water was not good for drinking[228]. It was brought from
the lake called Alseatina, in the hills on the western side of Rome. It
is altogether distinct from the great series of aqueducts on the eastern
side. The source can be seen in the bank of the lake, and the _specus_ or
subterranean conduit can now be entered, the water of the lake having
recently been drained, and reduced to a much lower level.
To these was added from another lake about three miles distant from the
Alseatina, another branch called the Sabatina. The two conduits were
united after a few miles near the old city of Cariæ, at a _castellum
aquæ_ or reservoir, now made into a house, and called the Osteria Nuova.
The Alseatina was at the lowest level of all the aqueducts, and it is now
very difficult to see any remains of it, except the _specus_ in the lake
at its source.
Trajan afterwards adopted the Aqua Sabatina, but omitted the Alseatina,
and carried the Sabatina at the highest level instead of the lowest (see
Aqua Sabatina, Aqueduct X.) Pope Paul V., who restored these aqueducts
to use, went back to the Alseatina lake, and his _specus_ can be seen
there on a different side of the lake to that of Augustus; both are now
left dry. There is, near the junction at the Osteria Nuova, a remarkable
flight of steps for the use of the _aquarii_, or the men who had charge
of the aqueducts. It passes through the upper _specus_, and goes down to
the lower one (No. 2959*). The respirators of these two lines can be seen
and traced; they are of a different size and form. The two can be seen
close together at the Osteria Nuova (No. 2960*). The _specus_ is also
seen in No. 2961*.
VIII. THE CLAUDIA, AND IX. THE ANIO NOVUS, A.D. 38-52.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account