List of aqueducts in the city of Rome

For an overview of ancient aqueducts outside Rome, see List of aqueducts in the Roman Empire. For a chronological listing of aqueducts in Rome from antiquity to present, see List of Roman aqueducts by date.

This page lists ancient Roman aqueducts in the city of Rome.

Introduction

In order to meet the massive water needs of its huge population, the city of Rome itself was supplied with 11 aqueducts. Their combined capacity was capable of supplying at least 1,127,220 cubic meters (nearly 300 million gallons) of water to the city each day from the Apennine mountains. Detailed statistics for the city's aqueducts were logged around 97 by Sextus Julius Frontinus, the curator aquarum (superintendent of the aqueducts) for Rome during the reign of Nerva. Less information is known about aqueducts built after Frontinus.

These estimates may not have considered water loss. Modern engineers questioning the validity of these figures measured Anio Novus limestone deposits to estimate the average wetted perimeter and surface roughness corresponding to only 2/3 of the flow figure given below.[1]

Table

Aqueducts in Rome
Name Year begun Year completed Length
(km)		 Height at
source (m)		 Height in
Rome (m)		 Average gradient
(%)		 Capacity
(m³ a day)
Aqua Appia 312 BC 312 BC 16.561 30 20 0.06 73,000
Anio Vetus 272 BC 269 BC 63.64 280 48 0.36 175,929
Aqua Marcia 144 BC 140 BC 91.424 318 59 0.28 187,600
Aqua Tepula 125 BC 125 BC 17.745 151 61 0.51 17,800
Aqua Julia 33 BC 33 BC 21.677 350 64 1.32 48,240
Aqua Virgo 19 BC 19 BC 20.697 24 20 0.02 100,160
Aqua Alsietina 2 BC (disputed) 2 BC 32.815 209 17 0.59 15,680
(not drinkable)
Aqua Claudia 38 AD 52 AD 68.681 320 67 0.37 184,280
Anio Novus 38 AD 52 AD 86.876 400 70 0.38 189,520
Aqua Traiana 109 AD 109 AD 32.500 - - -
Aqua Alexandrina 226 AD 226 AD 22 - 50 - 120.000 to 320.000

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sturgeon, Clair; Shidlauski, Kristina (2015). "Illinois team solves ancient Roman water supply mystery". CEE (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Fall 2015: 24.
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