The Subiaco Dams were a group of three
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
gravity dams
A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...
at
Subiaco,
Lazio
it, Laziale
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,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, devised as pleasure lakes for
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
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 un ...
(54–68 AD). The biggest one was the highest dam in the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
, and even in the world until its accidental destruction in 1305.
Location
The
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...
was built by the Romans at Sublaqueum (modern
Subiaco), in the Roman province of
Latium
Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire.
Definition
Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil (Old Latium) on whi ...
in central Italy on the river
Aniene
The Aniene (; la, Aniō), formerly known as the Teverone, is a river in Lazio, Italy. It originates in the Apennines at Trevi nel Lazio and flows westward past Subiaco, Vicovaro, and Tivoli to join the Tiber in northern Rome. It formed the pr ...
(
Lat. ''Anio''). Sublaqueum is from the Latin ''sub lacu'', meaning "below the lake".
The location lies some 75 km east of
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. The simple
gravity dam
A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...
was constructed of masonry and stood roughly 410m above sea level.
History
The ancient name of the city, Sublaqueum, derives from its position below the lakes of Nero's villa. In the reign of
Claudius
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...
(41 - 54) and
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 un ...
(54 - 68), the area around Subiaco formed an imperial summer residence, offering the possibility of hunting trips and parties in an idyllic landscape
Especially under Emperor Nero, luxurious villas emerged (Villa di Caccia, Villa of Horace, Villa of Trajan) stylistically foreshadowing
Hadrian's Villa
Hadrian's Villa ( it, Villa Adriana) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising the ruins and archaeological remains of a large villa complex built c. AD 120 by Roman Emperor Hadrian at Tivoli outside Rome. The site is owned by the Republic of ...
, which were built by the emperors themselves and by other high-ranking Roman families. As well as the high standard of living and general splendour, we also hear about systems of waterworks, extensive parklands, and festival banquets.
In order to secure the water supply of the metropolis of Rome, the aqueduct
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 erected under
Trajan
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
, at which point he built the dammed lakes as water reservoirs. For this, sources were first selected in the valley below the lakes, but these turned out to be susceptible to impurities during heavy rainfall. The construction of the dammed lakes turned out to be very advantageous; there the particles and debris in the water sank to the lakebed and the water became pure.
With their conversion to sources of drinking water for the capital, these structures received regular inspection and repair thereafter. This was neglected only with the decline of Rome in the latter period of the Roman empire. Of the original three dams, two continued to be preserved into the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, but the last dam burst after a flood in 1305. The destruction of the already dilapidated dam was handed down in one account:
: In the year 1305, two monks are supposed to have taken stones from the wall, because they wanted to lower the water level, presumably in order to make the water further from their fields. The wall no longer withstood the weight of the water; apparently, a breach appeared and grew ever larger, until the wall finally gave way.
Structural description
Overall design
The dam was the middle and highest in a series of three dams. The structural remains had already been carried off for new construction in the city of Subiaco in the late Middle Ages. The masonry of the dam had a reconstructed height of 40 metres (perhaps up to 50 metres high), was 13.5 metres thick and a length of 80 metres across the top.
On the position of the largest dam there are two hypotheses, which have been discussed in the literature. One of them suggests a fairly favourable location directly below Nero's villa, where the valley narrows to a bottleneck. The other theory proposes a place further down the stream, near ''San Mauro'' stream - where a field is found by the riverbank. According to
Arnold Esch
Arnold may refer to:
People
* Arnold (given name), a masculine given name
* Arnold (surname), a German and English surname
Places Australia
* Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria
Canada
* Arnold, Nova Scotia
Uni ...
, the original location of the dam is indisputedly the narrow area at the Ponte di San Mauro, the stream joining the Aniene at the road to
Arcinazzo. In that place, traces of incorporation into the rockface can be seen and a bit further downriver cement residue, i.e. Roman concrete from the mortar, has been found. However, instead of this place near this stream, Smith held a place about 200 metres upstream to be more likely.
[Norman Smith, "The Roman Dams of Subiaco,"''Technology and Culture'', Bd. 11, Nr. 1 (1970), S. 60] In that place, during the construction of a road in 1883/84 remains were also found and were documented by
Gustavo Giovannoni
Gustavo is the Latinate form of a Germanic male given name with respective prevalence in Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. It has been a common name for Swedish monarchs since the reign of Gustav Vasa.
It is derived from Gustav /ˈɡʊstɑːv/, a ...
.
Pictorial representation
In
Subiaco Abbey
The Abbey of Saint Scholastica, also known as Subiaco Abbey (Italian: ''Abbazia di Santa Scolastica''), is located just outside the town of Subiaco in the Province of Rome, Region of Lazio, Italy; and is still an active Benedictine abbey, terri ...
(Sacro Speco), near Subiaco, an image by an unknown painter is found, which was produced in 1428, i.e. 123 years after the dam's destruction. It depicts the dam and shows it as simple masonry in blocks, with two openings under the top of the dam, through which the water flows. Nearby, Nero's Villa is visible.
[ – Page 29 shows an older picture of this image ]
The dam remained the largest to have been built in Europe until 1594, when the
Tibi Dam
The Tibi Dam (in Spanish ''embalse de Tibi'') is a masonry dam on Monegre River about south of Tibi in Valencian Community, Spain. It is one of the oldest non-Roman dams in Europe. It was constructed between 1579 and 1594 with the purpose of usi ...
was built in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and the highest on Earth until the construction of the
Kurit Dam
The Kurit Dam is a masonry arch dam located 34 km southeast of Tabas, Iran near the village of Kurit. The dam is an early arch dam constructed by the Mongolians around 1350 AD.
Dam
The dam was originally 60m tall but 4m of height was added ...
around 1350.
See also
*
List of Roman dams and reservoirs
This is a list of Roman dams and reservoirs. The study of Roman dam-building has received little scholarly attention in comparison to their other civil engineering activities, even though their contributions in this field have been ranked alon ...
*
List of dams and reservoirs
The following is a list of reservoirs and dams, arranged by continent and country.
Africa
Algeria
# Djorf Torba Dam
# Keddara Dam
# Koudiat Acerdoune Dam
# Meraldene Dam
# boughrara Dam
# Beni Bahdel Dam
# Mafrouch Dam
# Si ...
*
Dam failure
A dam failure or dam burst is a catastrophic type of structural failure characterized by the sudden, rapid, and uncontrolled release of impounded water or the likelihood of such an uncontrolled release. Between the years 2000 and 2009 more than ...
*
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered on ...
*
Roman engineering
The ancient Romans were famous for their advanced engineering accomplishments. Technology for bringing running water into cities was developed in the east, but transformed by the Romans into a technology inconceivable in Greece. The architecture ...
Notes
Bibliography
*Arnold Esch, "Die Wasser des Aniene: Welt aus Natur und Geschichte," ''FAZ'' vol 23. October 2013
*A. Trevor Hodge, ''Roman Aqueducts & Water Supply.'' London 1992, Duckworth Verlag,
*Niklaus Schnitter, "Römische Talsperren," ''Antike Welt'', Bd. 8, Nr. 2 (1978), S. 25–32
*Norman Smith, "The Roman Dams of Subiaco,"''Technology and Culture'', Bd. 11, Nr. 1 (1970), S. 58-68
*Norman Smith, ''A History of Dams.'', London 1971, Peter Davies Verlag,
*Alexius Vogel, "Die historische Entwicklung der Gewichtsstaumauer." in: ''Historische Talsperren'' (1987),
External links
Key Developments in the History of Gravity DamsWATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS IN IMPERIAL ROME
{{Roman dams
Dams in Italy
Ancient Roman dams
Gravity dams
Buildings and structures in Lazio
Dam failures in Europe