Page 66 - Mediterraneo e dintorni - nr 13

sensi. Per capire i motivi di questa
nuova costruzione bisogna certo
considerare che Roma era in con-
tinua espansione e necessitava di
una quantità sempre maggiore
d’acqua, ma le ragioni principali
erano il deterioramento delle pre-
cedenti infrastrutture e soprattut-
to il fatto che questi acquedotti
erano stati intercettati da cittadini
privati, che ne usavano illegal-
mente le acque.
Proprio sull’Aqua Marcia venne-
ro sovrapposte, per lungo tratto,
Parco degli Acquedotti

romAn Aqueducts

hen we speak about ancient cities,
Wwe, almost always, think about
big monuments, huge temples and
basolate roads, but we forget a funda-
mental infrastructure, necessary for
the good functioning of every urban
agglomeration: the aqueduct. The
most important information we have
about those buildings are thanks to a
treaty, wrote by Frontinus, who was
the curator aquarum (a kind of supe-
rintendent of the hydric supply and of
the management of the aqueducts) un-
der emperor Nerva.
In Rome are documented 11 ancient Schema delle
aqueducts: the Aqua Appia, the Anio sovrapposizioni degli
Vetus, the Aqua Marcia and the Aqua acquedotti (disegno grafico
Tepula, belonging to the republican di Federico Perreca)
age; the Aqua Iulia, the Aqua Virgo,
the Aqua Alsietina, the Aqua Claudia,
the Anio Novus, the Aqua Traiana and Area archeologica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. Resti dell’Aqua Claudia e dell’Anio Novus
the Aqua Alexandrina, dated to the (che correva sovrapposto al Claudio), inglobati nelle mura aureliane
imperial age. The first aqueduct built
in Rome, in 312 BC, was, indeed, the
Aqua Appia, around which exists a cu-
rious anecdote: the responsible censors
to superintend the construction were
Appio Claudio Crasso, nicknamed
“The blind” because he lost his sight,
and Gaio Plauzio Venoce, dubbed
“The hunter”, because he physically
found the springs. Plauzio, however,
was deceived by his colleague, who
remained in charge even after the end
of the mandate, making the aqueduct
have only his name; also the “Appia”
road is protagonist of a similar intri-
gue. A few years later was built the
Anio Vetus (272 BC), called that be-
cause it took the waters directly from
the Aniene river, even if it’s still not
clear exactly the point where they were
kept. These two aqueducts probably

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