Piscina Mirabilis

Last updated
Piscina Mirabilis
Map of Miseno peninsula in Bay of Naples
The Piscina Mirabilis Piscina Mirabilis 2010-by-RaBoe-17.jpg
The Piscina Mirabilis
Piscina Mirabilis with Tyndall effect Piscina Mirabilis 2010-by-RaBoe-13.jpg
Piscina Mirabilis with Tyndall effect

The Piscina Mirabilis (Latin for "wondrous pool") is an Ancient Roman cistern on the Bacoli hill at the western end of the Gulf of Naples, southern Italy. It ranks as one of the largest ancient cisterns [1] built by the ancient Romans, [2] [3] compared to the largest Roman reservoir, the Yerebatan Sarayi (aka Basilica Cistern) in Istanbul.

Contents

The adjective Mirabilis was given by the 14th c. Tuscan poet Francesco Petrarca on one of his visits. [4] [5]

Floor plan (Th. Rajola Arch, de. & Fiorillo, Sculp. 1768) Ichnographia Piscinae Admirabilis - Pianta della Piscina Ammirabile. Th. Rajola Arch, de.jpg
Floor plan (Th. Rajola Arch, de. & Fiorillo, Sculp. 1768)

History

The Piscina Mirabilis was built under Augustus possibly to provide water to the Classis Misenensis in the nearby port of Misenum, which needed large quantities of fresh water for the base itself and for the ships. [6] As it lies 1 km away from the residential and military quarters at Misenum which lay beside each other and which were fed directly by the Aqua Augusta, it is also possible that the cistern belonged instead to one of the many luxurious villas built in this area, like the smaller Grotta della Dragonara and Cento Camerelle cisterns nearby.

The Piscina Mirabilis was supplied with water from the Aqua Augusta, built after 33 BC, which brought water to most of the sites around Naples.

A row of twelve small chambers with barrel vaults were added on the north-eastern side in the late 1st to early 2nd century to increase the usable capacity [7] and constructed in opus mixtum and opus vittatum . In one of them is an opus signinum floor with labyrinth-shaped mosaic tesserae and a central white inlaid panel with limestone polychrome tiles, which seems to date to a more ancient phase. [6]

The cistern was definitively out of use when the Aqua Augusta was destroyed between the 4th and 5th century AD. [3] [8]

Structure

Testament to its monumentality are the dimensions: 15 metres (49 ft) high, 72 metres (236 ft) long, and 25 metres (82 ft) wide. The capacity is 12,600 cubic metres (440,000 cu ft), [1] amounting, in other words, to 12.6 million litres (3.33 million US gallons) of water, or roughly the size of 5 Olympic-size swimming pools.

It was built as a kind of hypostyle hall [9] on a quadrangular plan to obtain four rows of twelve cruciform pillars per row which divide the interior space into five long naves and thirteen courtyards (just as if it were a cathedral, hence its local nicknames of "the Water Cathedral" [3] or the "Cathedral of Bacoli" [2] ). The 48 columns support a barrel vaulted ceiling covered by a roof terrace made of opus caementicium and paved in waterproof opus signinum .

The piscina had two entrances (AA), a staircase supported by three arches [4] in the north-west corner and one in the south-east, currently closed. The only one of the two staircases (CC) that still allows access to the main nave is the north-western staircase. Given the absence of holes visible from the outside, it is presumed that water was introduced through pipes coming from the North-West entrance (D). In the middle of the short central nave there is a 1.1 m deep basin (BB), hollowed out in the floor and provided with an outlet at one end, [7] which served as a so-called piscina limaria (waste-bath, i.e. a settling and drainage basin [7] ) for the decantation, cleaning and periodic emptying of the cistern. Water was extracted from above through ancient hydraulic systems, exploiting the holes in the barrel vaults.

The walls and pillars of the pool are faced in opus reticulatum, with recourse to bricks for the walls and to tufelli [10] for the pillars. A usual, the walls are waterproofed with opus insigninum (cocciopesto in Italian), smoothing the corners through kerbs placed at their bases.

Water was pumped out of the cistern using machines placed on the roof terrace of the cistern, which were extended in the 1st century AD by adding a series of 12 supporting barrel-vaulted rooms on the north-west side. [9]

Restoration

Engraving Joan. Baptista Natali del. & Joan. Volpato, scul. Venetiis (Tab. LXI) Veduta interiore Piscina ammirabile.jpg
Engraving Joan. Baptista Natali del. & Joan. Volpato, scul. Venetiis (Tab. LXI)

The first work documented[ citation needed ] is the completion of the excavations between 1910 and 1926, followed by the consolidation of the damaged walls. In 1926 restoration of the second and third supporting arch was carried out and the surfaces of the pillars were restored with new opus reticulatum. In 1929 the access staircase was covered with a layer of cocciopesto. In 1936 the missing parts of the vaults were reconstructed and the extrados was repaired with concrete.

In 2007 the roof terrace was consolidated and waterproofed. [2]

Access

The ancient cistern is in private hands but is open to the public.

See also

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campania</span> Region in Italy

Campania is an administrative region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula, but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the island of Capri. The capital of the Campania region is Naples. As of 2018, the region had a population of around 5,820,000 people, making it Italy's third most populous region, and, with an area of 13,590 km2 (5,247 sq mi), its most densely populated region. Based on its GDP, Campania is also the most economically productive region in southern Italy and the 7th most productive in the whole country. Naples' urban area, which is in Campania, is the eighth most populous in the European Union. The region is home to 10 of the 58 UNESCO sites in Italy, including Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Royal Palace of Caserta, the Amalfi Coast and the Historic Centre of Naples. In addition, Campania's Mount Vesuvius is part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumae</span> Ancient Roman city near Naples, Italy

Cumae was the first ancient Greek colony of Magna Graecia on the mainland of Italy and was founded by settlers from Euboea in the 8th century BC. It became a rich Roman city, the remains of which lie near the modern village of Cuma, a frazione of the comune Bacoli and Pozzuoli in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pozzuoli</span> City and comune of the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania

Pozzuoli is a city and comune of the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baiae</span> Human settlement in Bacoli, Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, Italy

Baiae was an ancient Roman town situated on the northwest shore of the Gulf of Naples and now in the comune of Bacoli. It was a fashionable resort for centuries in antiquity, particularly towards the end of the Roman Republic, when it was reckoned as superior to Capri, Pompeii, and Herculaneum by wealthy Romans, who built villas here from 100 BC. Ancient authors attest that many emperors built in Baia, almost in competition with their predecessors and they and their courts often stayed there. It was notorious for its hedonistic offerings and the attendant rumours of corruption and scandal.

<i>Pompeii</i> (novel) 2003 novel by Robert Harris

Pompeii is a novel by Robert Harris, published by Random House in 2003. It blends historical fiction with the real-life eruption of Mount Vesuvius on 24 August 79 AD, which overwhelmed the town of Pompeii and its vicinity. The novel is notable for its references to various aspects of volcanology and use of the Roman calendar. In 2007, a film version of the book had been planned and was to be directed by Roman Polanski with a budget of US$150 million, but was cancelled due to the threat of a looming actors' strike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crypta Neapolitana</span>

The Crypta Neapolitana is an ancient Roman road tunnel near Naples, Italy. It was built in 37 BC and is over 700 metres long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aqua Augusta (Naples)</span> Aqueduct

The Aqua Augusta, or Serino Aqueduct, was one of the largest, most complex and costliest aqueduct systems in the Roman world; it supplied water to at least eight ancient cities in the Bay of Naples including Pompeii and Herculaneum. This aqueduct was unlike any other of its time, being a regional network rather than being focused on one urban centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman aqueduct</span> Type of aqueduct built in ancient Rome

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 operations, milling, farms, and gardens.

Gioiosa Ionica is a town and comune in Italy in the province of Reggio Calabria, region of Calabria. It lies near the east coast of Calabria and covers an area of 35 square kilometres (14 sq mi).

Serino is a town and comune in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy.

<i>Opus signinum</i>

Opus signinum is a building material used in ancient Rome. It is a form of Roman concrete, the main difference being the addition of small pieces of broken pot, including amphorae, tiles or brick, instead of other aggregates. Its main advantage over opus caementicium was that it is waterproof, the reason for its widespread use in Roman baths, aqueducts, cisterns and any buildings involving water. In floors it provided damp-proofing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bacoli</span> Comune in Campania, Italy

Bacoli is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west of Naples.

Palma Campania, known until 1863 as Palma di Nola, is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 25 km east of Naples.

Running beneath the Italian city of Naples and the surrounding area is an underground geothermal zone and several tunnels dug during the ages. This geothermal area is present generally from Mount Vesuvius beneath a wide area including Pompei, Herculaneum, and from the volcanic area of Campi Flegrei beneath Naples and over to Pozzuoli and the coastal Baia area. Mining and various infrastructure projects during several millennia have formed extensive caves and underground structures in the zone.

Portus Julius was the first harbour specifically constructed to be a base for the Roman western naval fleet, the classis Misenensis. The port was located near Baiae and protected by the Misenum peninsula at the north-western end of the Gulf of Naples. Portus Julius was named in honour of Octavian's great-uncle and adoptive father, Julius Caesar and the Julian clan.

Miseno is one of the frazioni of the municipality of Bacoli in the Italian Province of Naples. Known in ancient Roman times as Misenum, it is the site of a great Roman port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zaghouan Aqueduct</span> Bridge

The Zaghouan Aqueduct or Aqueduct of Carthage is an ancient Roman aqueduct, which supplied the city of Carthage, Tunisia with water. From its source in Zaghouan it flows a total of 132 km, making it among the longest aqueducts in the Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cerrato Cellars</span>

The Cerrato Cellars, also locally known as Cantine Cerrato, are an underground archaeological monument of Bovino, in the province of Foggia in Apulia (Italy) and consist of two rooms belonging to a cistern of the Roman period. The cellars are located in the historic center of Bovino, under the urban block between the cathedral and tree nearby streets, about three meters deep from the current street level. The remains are accessible from via Torino, but the underground areas extend for over 20 meters and continue underneath other buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Via Camerelle</span> Street in Capri, Italy

Via Camerelle is a street in Capri, Campania, known for being the island's major commercial street.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Piscina mirabilis". Naples: Life, Death, and Miracles. Archived from the original on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Cucco, Mauro (11 February 2023). "Piscina Mirabile". bacoli.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  3. 1 2 3 "Piscina Mirabilis - Bacoli". www.piscinamirabilisbacoli.it. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  4. 1 2 Lucio (2017-07-20). "Piscina Mirabilis, perla archeologica di Bacoli". Napoli Turistica (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  5. ↑ "La Cattedrale dell'Acqua: alla scoperta della Piscina Mirabilis -". Meravigliosa Campania tour e gite scolastiche | turismo scolastico | (in Italian). 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  6. 1 2 De Feo, G.; Napoli, R.M.A (2007-03-01). "Historical development of the Augustan Aqueduct in Southern Italy: twenty centuries of works from Serino to Naples". Water Supply. 7 (1): 131–138. doi:10.2166/ws.2007.015. ISSN   1606-9749.
  7. 1 2 3 "Piscina Mirabilis - Miseno". www.cir.campania.beniculturali.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 7 March 2016.
  8. ↑ Keenan-Jones, Duncan (2010). "The Aqua Augusta and control of water resources in the Bay of Naples". Australasian Society for Classical Studies Conference 31, Perth, Australia 2010: 15 – via www.academia.edu.
  9. 1 2 De Feo, Giovanni & De Gisi, Sabino & Malvano, Carmela & De Biase, O. (2010). The Greatest Water Reservoirs in the Ancient Roman World and the “Piscina Mirabilis” in Misenum . Water Science & Technology: Water Supply. vol. 10, issue 3, pp 350–358. Publication by IWA Publishing, 2010.
  10. ↑ Esposito, Daniela (1998). Tecniche costruttive murarie medievali: murature 'a tufelli' in area romana (in Italian). L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER. ISBN   978-88-7062-982-8.
  11. ↑ Paoli, Paolo Antonio (1768). "Remains of the Antiquities Existing in Puteoli, Cumae, and Baiae (translated)". Pdf available at the Library of Congress (USA) (in Italian and Latin). Naples. Retrieved 2023-04-03.

40°47′43″N14°4′48″E / 40.79528°N 14.08000°E / 40.79528; 14.08000

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.