Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

AQUAE DUCTUS.

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AQUAE DUCTUS.

from the hills which surround the Campagna.
The number of aqueducts was gradually in-
creased, partly at the public expense, and
partly by the munificence of individuals, till,
in the fourth century of the Christian era,
they amounted to fourteen. Of these only
four belong to the time of the republic, while
five were built in the reigns of Augustus and
Claudius.— 1. The Aqua Appia, begun by the
censor Appius Claudius Caecus in b.c. 313.
Its sources were near the Via, Praencstina,
between the seventh and eighth milestones. —
2. The^4?n'o Vet us was commenced forty years
later, b. r. 273, by the censor M. Carina Den-
tatus, and was finished by M. Fulvius Flaccus.
The water was derived from the river Anio,
above Tibur, at a distance of 20 Roman miles
from the city; but, on account of its wind-
ings, its actual length was 43 miles.—3. The
Aqua Marcia, one of the most important of
the whole, was built by the praetor Q. Mar-
cius Rex, by command of the senate, in b. c.
144. It commenced at the side of the Via
Valeria, 36 miles from Rome.—4. The Aqua
Tepula, built by the censors Cn. Servilius
Caepio and L. Cassius Longinus in b.c 127,
began at a spot in the Lucullan or Tusculan
land, two miles to the right of the tenth
milestone on the Via Latina. It was after-
wards connected with—5. The Aqua Julia,
built by Agrippa in his aedileship, b.c. 33.
It was conducted from a source two miles to
the right of the twelfth milestone on the Via
Latina, first to the Aqua Tepula, in which
it was merged as far as the reservoir (pis-
cina) on the Via Latina, seven miles from
Rome. From this reservoir the water was
carried along two distinct channels, on the
same substructions; the lower channel being
called the Aqua Tepula, and the upper the
Aqua Julia ; and this double aqueduct again
was united with the Aqua Marcia, over the
watercourse of which the other two were
carried.—6. The Aqua Virgo, built by Agrippa,
to supply his baths. From a source in a
marshy spot by the 8th milestone on the
Via Cullatina, it was conducted by a very
circuitous route. — 7. The Aqua Alsietina
(sometimes called also Aqua Augusta), on the
other side of the Tiber, was constructed by
Augustus from the Lacus Alsietinus (Lago di
Martignano), which lay 0500 passus to the
right of the 14th milestone on the Via
Claudia, — 8, 9. The two most magnificent
aqueducts were the Aqua Claudia and the
Anio Novus (or Aqua Aniena Nova), both
commenced by Caligula in a. d. 36, and
finished by Claudius in a.d. 50. The water
of the Aqua Claudia was derived from two
copious and excellent springs, near the 38th
milestone on the Via Sublacensis. Its length

was nearly 46| miles. The Anio Novus began
at the 42nd milestone. It was the longest
and the highest of all the aqueducts, its
length being nearly 59 miles, and some of its
arches 109 feet high. In the neighbourhood
of the city these two aqueducts were united,
forming two channels on the same arches, the
Claudia below and the Anio Novus above.
These nine aqueducts were all that existed in
the time of Frontinus, who was the curator
of the aqueducts in the reigns of Nerva and
Trajan. There was also another aqueduct,
not reckoned with the nine, because its waters
were no longer brought all the way to Rome,
viz. : 10. The Aqua Crabra.—The following
were of later construction. 11. The Aqua
Trajana, brought by Trajan from the Lacus
Sabatinus (now Bracciano).-—12. The Aqua
Alexandrina, constructed by Alexander Se-
verus; its source was in the lands of Tus-
culum, about 14 miles from Rome.—13. The
Aqua Septimiana, built by Septimius Severus,
was perhaps only a branch of the Aqua Julia.
—14. The Aqua Algentia had its source at
It. Algidus by the Via Tusculana. Its builder
is unknown.—Great pains were taken by
successive emperors to preserve and repair
the aqueducts. From the Gothic wars down-
wards, they have for the most part shared
the fate .of the other great Roman works of
architecture ; their situation and purpose
rendering them peculiarly exposed to injury
in war ; but still their remains form the most
striking features of the Campagna, over which
their lines of ruined arches, clothed with ivy
and the wild fig-tree, radiate in various di-
rections. Three of them still serve for their
ancient use. They are — (1.) The Acqua
Vergine, the ancient Aqua
Virgo. (2.) The Acqua Felice,
named after the conventual
name of its restorer Sixtus V.
(Fra Felice), is, probably, a
part of the ancient Aqua
Claudia, though some take it
for the Alexandrina. (3.) The
Acqua Paola, the ancient
Alsietina. ■— The following
woodcut represents a restored
section of the triple aqueduct
of Agrippa:'—a. the Aqua
Marcia ; b. the Aqua Tepula ;
c. the Aqua Julia. The two
latter are of brick and vaulted
over. The air-vents are also
shown.-—The channel of an
aqueduct (specus, canalis)
was a trough of brick or
stone, lined with cement, and
covered with a coping, which
was almost always arched; Triple Aqueduct.