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The Aqua Tepula is an ancient Roman aqueduct completed in 125 BC by
censors Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
Gnaeus Servilius Caepio, who had served as consul in 141 BC, and
Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravilla Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravilla was a Roman politician. He served as consul in 127 BC and censor at the following lustrum in 125 BC. His first recorded office was that of tribune of the plebs in 137 BC. As a tribune of the plebs, ...
. The water from the Aqua Tepula was, as implied in the name, lukewarm at 16–17 °C at the springs and perhaps due to the sulphurous content was, as
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 ...
states, originally not fit for human consumption. The original daily flow was very low and barely reached 190 quinariae (about 8000 m3 per day).


Route

Its source was at the volcanic area of the Alban hills on the estate of Lucullus, between today's municipalities of
Grottaferrata Grottaferrata () is a small town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, situated on the lower slopes of the Alban Hills, south east of Rome. It has grown up around the Abbey of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, founded in 1004. Nearby com ...
and Marino, a mere 18 km from Rome. Until the Augustan era the aqueduct flowed along an underground route from source to terminus. In 33 BC, Agrippa modified the aqueduct concurrently with the construction of the
Aqua Julia The Aqua Julia (or Iulia) is a Roman aqueduct built in 33 BC by Agrippa under Augustus to supply the city of Rome. It was repaired and expanded by Augustus from 11–4 BC. Route The source of the Aqua Iulia is situated approximately a ...
and added 92 quinariae of water flow from the Julia. The conduit was made to join the newly built one for Julia until it reached the current locality of Capannelle near the
Aqua Marcia The Aqua Marcia ( it, Acqua Marcia) is one of the longest of the eleven aqueducts that supplied the city of Rome. The aqueduct was built between 144–140 BC, during the Roman Republic. The still-functioning Acqua Felice from 1586 runs on long ...
where there was a ''limaria'' pool (settling basin) and by which time the water had cooled. The water was then split again (for an unexplained reason) into two conduits for the Tepula and the Julia, the Tepula being the highest, superimposed on arches of the Marcia, for the remaining 10 km. They reached the city at ''ad spem veterem'', near
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 ...
. From here on the conduit used the Aurelian Walls and crossed
Via Tiburtina Via Tiburtina is an ancient road in Italy leading east-northeast from Rome to Tivoli (Latin, Tibur) and then, with the via Valeria, on to Pescara (Latin, Aternum). Historical road It was probably built by the Roman censor Marcus Valerius M ...
on an arch which became Porta Tiburtina. The route passed the Viminal gate, where Termini Station stands today, and ended near the
Porta Collina The Colline Gate (Latin ''Porta Collina'') was a landmark in ancient Rome, supposed to have been built by Servius Tullius, semi-legendary king of Rome 578–535 BC. The gate stood at the north end of the Servian Wall, and past it were two impor ...
, where the main distribution ''
castellum A ''castellum'' in Latin is usually: * a small Roman fortlet or tower,C. Julius Caesar, Gallic War; 2,30 a diminutive of ('military camp'), often used as a watchtower or signal station like on Hadrian's Wall. It should be distinguished from a ...
'' was, near the current Via XX Settembre. It passed through 14 ''castella divisorum'' delivering water to four regions. Later another 163 quinariae of water,Frontinus, de aq. ii. 68 derived from the future
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 Ani ...
aqueduct (built around 50 AD), were added at the ''horti Epaphroditiani'' on the Esquiline hill for a final overall total, upon distribution, of 445 (190+92+163) quinariae (18,467 m3, about 200 litres per second), still a scant amount in Roman times.


See also

* Ancient Roman technology *
List of aqueducts in the city of Rome This article 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 was eventually supplied with 11 aqueducts by 226 AD, which were some of the city's ...
*
List of aqueducts in the Roman Empire This is a list of aqueducts in the Roman Empire. For a more complete list of known and possible Roman aqueducts and Roman bridges see List of Roman bridges. Aqueducts in the Roman Empire See also * List of aqueducts This is a list of aq ...
*
List of Roman aqueducts by date This is a list of aqueducts in the city of Rome listed in chronological order of their construction. Ancient Rome Modern Rome * Acqua Vergine Antica ** built in 1453 ** source: springs in Salone, east of Rome ** length: ; underground fro ...
* Parco degli Acquedotti * Roman engineering


References

Citations Sources * * Frontinus
''De Aquis''


External links


The Roman Aqueducts
{{Authority control Tepula