Aqua Claudia ("the Claudian water") was an ancient Roman aqueduct that, like the

Aqua Anio Novus Aqua Anio Novus (Latin for "New Anio aqueduct") was an ancient Roman aqueduct. Like the Aqua Claudia, it was begun by emperor Caligula in 38 AD and completed in 52 AD by Claudius, who dedicated them both on August 1. Together with the Aqua Anio ...

, was begun by Emperor Caligula (37–41 AD) in 38 AD and finished by Emperor Claudius (41–54 AD) in 52 AD. Together with

Aqua Anio Vetus The Aqua Anio Vetus was an ancient Roman aqueduct, and the second oldest after the Aqua Appia. It was commissioned in 272 BC and funded by treasures seized after the victory against Pyrrhus of Epirus. Two magistrates were appointed by the Senate, t ...

and Aqua Marcia, it is regarded as one of the "four great aqueducts of Rome".

Route

Its mainsprings, the Caeruleus and Curtius, were situated 300 paces to the left of the 38th milestone of the Via Sublacensis. The total length was approximately , most of which was underground. The flow was about in 24 hours (about ). Directly after its filtering tank, near the seventh mile of the

Via Latina The Via Latina (Latin for "Latin Road") was a Roman road of Italy, running southeast from Rome for about 200 kilometers. Route It led from the Porta Latina in the Aurelian walls of Rome to the pass of Mount Algidus; it was important in the ear ...

, it finally emerged onto arches, which increase in height as the ground falls toward the city, reaching over . Porta Maggiore 030106

It is one of the two ancient aqueducts that flowed through the

Porta Maggiore The Porta Maggiore ("Larger Gate"), or Porta Prenestina, is one of the eastern gates in the ancient but well-preserved 3rd-century Aurelian Walls of Rome. Through the gate ran two ancient roads: the Via Praenestina and the Via Labicana. The Via ...

, the other being the

. It is described in some detail by

Frontinus Sextus Julius Frontinus (c. 40 – 103 AD) was a prominent Roman civil engineer, author, soldier and senator of the late 1st century AD. He was a successful general under Domitian, commanding forces in Roman Britain, and on the Rhine and Danube ...

in his work published in the later 1st century, ''

De aquaeductu ( en, On aqueducts) is a two-book official report given to the emperor Nerva or Trajan on the state of the aqueducts of Rome, and was written by Sextus Julius Frontinus at the end of the 1st century AD. It is also known as or . It is the earlie ...

''.

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

extended the aqueduct with the Arcus Neroniani to the

Caelian The Caelian Hill (; la, Collis Caelius; it, Celio ) is one of the famous seven hills of Rome. Geography The Caelian Hill is a sort of long promontory about long, to wide, and tall in the park near the Temple of Claudius. The hill over ...

hill and

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...

further extended it to the

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.

, after which the Aqua Claudia could provide all 14 Roman districts with water. The section on the Caelian hill was called ''arcus Caelimontani''.

Repairs

The aqueduct went through at least two major repairs. Tacitus suggests that the aqueduct was in use by AD 47. An inscription from Vespasian suggests that Aqua Claudia was used for ten years, then failed and was out of use for nine years. The first repair was done by

Emperor Vespasian Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...

in 71 AD; it was repaired again in 81 AD by

Emperor Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

Alexander Severus Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander (1 October 208 – 21/22 March 235) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 222 until 235. He was the last emperor from the Severan dynasty. He succeeded his slain cousin Elagabalus in 222. Alexander himself was ...

reinforced the arches of Nero (CIL VI.1259) where they are called ''arcus Caelimontani'', including the line of arches across the valley between the Caelian and the Palatine. The church of

San Tommaso in Formis The church of San Tommaso in Formis is a small church in Rome, situated on the Caelian Hill. History Situated on the edge of Villa Celimontana and next to the Arch of Dolabella (Porta Caelimontana), a gate in the original Servian Wall, the church ...

was later built into the side of the aqueduct.

Gallery

File:RomaAcquedottoTraCelioePalatino.JPG, The Arcus Nerioniani near the

and the Palatine Hills. File:Aqua Claudia 04.jpg File:Aqua Claudia 05.jpg File:Aqua Claudia 13.jpg File:Aqua Claudia 18.jpg File:Aqueduct-aqua-claudia.jpg

Notes

External links

Interactive map with the full Aqua ClaudiaThe Aqua Claudia Webpage3D digital model of Rome featuring ''Aqua Claudia''
* {{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century Claudia 50s establishments in the Roman Empire 1st-century establishments in Italy Claudius Caligula 52 establishments

Route

Repairs

Gallery

See also

Notes

External links