Subscribe to Archaeology

Rome’s Oldest Aqueduct

Rome, Italy

January/February 2018

Top Ten Rome Aqueduct Section

 

Construction workers on Rome’s new “C” metro line uncovered what is believed to have been part of the Aqua Appia, Rome’s oldest-known aqueduct, which dates back to 312 B.C. The remains were found near the Colosseum, at around 55 to 60 feet below Piazza Celimontana, a depth usually unreachable by archaeological excavation, says Simona Morretta of the Archaeological Superintendency of Rome. The section of aqueduct measures 6.5 feet tall and is made up of large gray, granular tufa blocks arranged in five rows. “The total absence of any traces of limestone inside the duct suggests that its use over time has been limited,” says Morretta, “or that the structure was abandoned just after a maintenance intervention.” It stretches for more than 100 feet and continues beyond the investigation area bounded by concrete bulkheads.


Skull Cult at Göbekli Tepe
Sanliurfa, Turkey
Finding Indianapolis
North Pacific Ocean
Super Fruitcake
Cape Adare, Antarctica
Aztec Warrior Wolf
Mexico City, Mexico
Dawn of Egyptian Writing
El-Khawy, Egypt
Caveman Genetics
Eurasia
Iron Age Britain’s Oldest Gold
Staffordshire, England
Rome’s Oldest Aqueduct
Rome, Italy
The Square Inside Avebury’s Circles
Wiltshire, England
Homo sapiens, Earlier Still
Jebel Irhoud, Morocco

Advertisement

Advertisement

Recent Issues


Advertisement