In Ancient Rome, the Aqua Alsietina (sometimes called Aqua Augusta) was the earlier of the two western

Roman aqueduct The Romans constructed aqueducts throughout their Republic and later Empire, to bring water from outside sources into cities and towns. Aqueduct water supplied public baths, latrines, fountains, and private households; it also supported mining o ...

s (with the

aqua Traiana The Aqua Traiana (later rebuilt and named the Acqua Paola) was a 1st-century Roman aqueduct built by Emperor Trajan and inaugurated on 24 June 109 AD. It channelled water from sources around Lake Bracciano, 40 km (25 mi) north-west of Rome, ...

), erected sometime around 2 BC, during the reign of emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

. It was the only water supply for the Transtiberine region, on the right bank of the river

Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...

. This aqueduct acquired water mainly from Lacus Alsietinus (a small lake in southern

Etruria Etruria () was a region of Central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what are now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and northern and western Umbria. Etruscan Etruria The ancient people of Etruria are identified as Etruscan civiliza ...

, currently known as Lago di Martignano) and some from Lacus Sabatinus (Lago di Bracciano). The length of this mainly subterranean aqueduct was 22000

paces A pace is a unit of length consisting either of one normal walking step (approximately ), or of a double step, returning to the same foot (approximately ). The normal pace length decreases with age and some health conditions. The word "pace" is al ...

(about 32.8 km) and it had arches over 358 paces (about 0.53 km). This water was not suitable for drinking, however, and Augustus used it to fill his

naumachia The naumachia (in Latin , from the Ancient Greek /, literally "naval combat") in the Ancient Roman world referred to both the staging of naval battles as mass entertainment, and the basin or building in which this took place. Early The first ...

Trastevere Trastevere () is the 13th ''rione'' of Rome: it is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin ''trans Tiberim'', literally 'beyond the Tiber'. Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a lio ...

. This water supply allowed the public to enjoy sham naval battles. The water surplus was used for the irrigation of

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...

's ''horti'' (gardens) and for the irrigation of fields.

Sextus Julius 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 ...

ascribes only a meager volume to the Aqua Alsietina in about 97.Frontinus,

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

It was probably joined by the aqua Traiana in 109 AD to share a common lower path into Rome, though their routes are uncertain. Some traces of this aqueduct were discovered in 1720. An inscribed stone slab was found in 1887 near the

Via Claudia Via or VIA may refer to the following: Science and technology * MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter * Via (moth), ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae * Via (electronics), a through-connection * VIA Technologie ...

. It is the only ancient written record of the Aqua Alsietina. The fountain of the Acqua Paola in Rome, built under Pope

Paul V Pope Paul V ( la, Paulus V; it, Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death in January 1621. In 1611, he honored ...

announces on its triumphal arch that "Paul V restored the ancient ducts of the Aqua Alsietina".

References

* Samuel Ball Platner - ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome'', London: Oxford University Press, 1929 *

External links

Aqua Alsietina
Alsietina {{AncientRome-struct-stub

See also

References

External links