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
These aqueducts, which supplied the fountains in the Trastevere, all come
from the lakes on the hills. The Alsietina of Augustus comes from the
lake of that name (now called Martignano), between the Via Claudia and
the Via Aurelia, but not very near to either, being 6½ miles from the
Via Claudia at the fourteenth milestone, as Frontinus states. This was
made to supply the Naumachia of Augustus, which were near the present
monastery of S. Cosimato in Trastevere; the water was very abundant,
but not fit for drinking. It entered Rome at a lower level than any
of the other aqueducts, because the Naumachia were very little above
the level of the Tiber. At the small town called the Cariæ (near the
present Osteria Nuova), about fifteen miles from Rome, it received an
additional supply of water from the Lacus Sabatinus. Trajan restored
to use that part which came from the latter lake; this is better water
than the Alsietina. Pope Paul III., A.D. 1540, again restored this to
use, and it is now called Aqua Paola. His engineers brought the water
from three lakes, the two before mentioned, and a smaller one above the
Alsietina, called Stracciacappe. The object of bringing the water from
this very high level, 500 ft. above Rome, was to supply the splendid
fountains in front of S. Peter’s, the water of which rises to a great
height. This lake was drained in 1870, and at the same time the water in
the Alsietina was also much lowered, by which means the three _specus_
were brought to light on the bank, and the sites are shewn on this map.
The Aqueduct of Trajan was carried at a much higher level than that of
Augustus, and entered Rome on the top of the Janiculum. Procopius, in the
sixth century, admired the profuse supply of water at that point; and the
water was then, as it is now, used for a series of mills on the slope of
the hill. The engineers of Pope Paul made use of the water of all the
three lakes, and a most abundant supply still flows into Rome through
the Fountain, above the Church of S. Pietro in Montorio. How far the old
_specus_ was used it is difficult to tell, but most probably that of
Trajan was used for a large part of the distance; it is almost entirely
underground until the last mile into Rome, where it was carried on an
arcade of the time of Trajan. The Aqua Paola is there also carried on an
arcade, parallel to it and near to it, but not the same.
FOOTNOTES
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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