The Aqua Augusta, or Serino Aqueduct (Italian : Acquedotto romano del Serino), 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. [1] This aqueduct was unlike any other of its time, being a regional network rather than being focused on one urban centre. [2]
The eastern parts of the route of the aqueduct [3] [4] [5] are well known thanks to the writings of two Italian engineers, [6] who were asked to see if it could be brought back in use as the main water supply of Naples in the 16th and 19th centuries. The western part beyond Naples was less known until recent research. [7]
There were ten branches, seven of which were for cities while three were for some of the numerous luxurious villas in this area popular with rich Romans, such as the Villa Pollio at Posillipo. [8] Including the branches, the total length of the aqueduct was approximately 145 km (90 mi), making it the longest Roman aqueduct system in the Roman world, [2] with the possible exception of the Gadara Aqueduct, until the 5th century AD when the Valens Aqueduct was extended in Constantinople. The Aqua Augusta was one of the most difficult and costly aqueducts ever constructed by an ancient civilisation due to its length and the difficult terrain it crossed. [9] Despite its size and complexity, the Aqua Augusta is today largely unknown as a major monument because most of it is underground.
The aqueduct's main source (caput aquae), the Fons Augusteus (now known as Acquaro-Pelosi), was in the Terminio-Tuoro mountains near the modern town of Serino not far from the city of Avellino and at 376 m above sea level. It is likely that there were several supplementary sources at other points in the network, including the branches from Avellino and at Scalandrone near Baiae. [10] One of its main terminations was the enormous Piscina Mirabilis cistern at the naval base and port of Misenum.
Since the aqueduct traversed such a distance, many difficulties were encountered when building it: several long tunnels were cut through mountains; the 6 km-long (3.7 mi) Monti di Forino tunnel crossed a watershed in the Apennines (one of the longest Roman tunnels), [9] and a 2 km-long (1.2 mi) tunnel crossed into the Sarno plain; also at the Crypta Neapolitana road tunnel and the Grotta di Cocceio road tunnel. A 3.5 km-long (2.2 mi) raised section on arches was built at Pomigliano d’Arco. There was ground movement due to seismic activity and a sea crossing was needed to the island of Nisida. [11]
The aqueduct passed underground 400m south of the Roman baths at Agnano with its own branch, and a few metres north of the amphitheatre of Pozzuoli [7] with a 70m branch to the aqueduct.
The Serino aqueduct was constructed during the Augustan period of the Roman Empire, probably from 33 BC when Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (close friend and ally of Emperor Augustus) was curator aquarum in Rome, principally in order to refurnish the Roman fleet of Misenum and secondarily to supply water for the increasing demand of the important commercial harbour of Puteoli as well as for big cities such as Cumae and Neapolis. [12] [2] [9]
There is evidence that a large number of private users were members of the Rome senatorial class. In Rome, a letter from the emperor was required to gain a private connection and so it seems that imperial favour was also a factor in accessing the Augusta's water.
During the war with Sextus Pompey, Augustus ordered the construction of the Portus Julius harbour just west of Puteoli. Later, this harbour was seen as less ideal because of silting problems and a new major naval base was built further west at Misenum to become the basis of the western Mediterranean fleet. Large quantities of fresh water were needed for the base itself and for the ships which may have been one of the reasons the new aqueduct was built. [13] [14]
Such a major monument required constant maintenance; there were major repairs in the Flavian period (1st century AD) with the addition of parallel tunnels and the Emperor Constantine also engaged in a massive restoration documented on an inscription tablet [15] discovered in Serino and dated to AD 324. Its text [16] [17] [18] proved that the aqueduct dated to Augustus and not to Claudius as previously thought. [19] [20] [21]
The destinations listed on the tablet are: Nola, Acerrae, Atella, Naples, Pozzuoli, Baiae, Cumae, and Misenum. The cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae were also originally supplied by the aqueduct but, being buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, they did not appear on this list.
The next major eruption in 472 AD left the aqueduct covered in ash, and 3.5 km (2.2 mi) of the duct, the Pomigliano d’Arco arcade, [9] collapsed prior to the actual eruption. This cut off the supply of water to all the towns except Nola and Acerrae. The poor administrative and economic situation in Campania at this time, and Italy in general, prevented major repairs to the Augusta and after this time only other aqueducts in the area were referred to.[ citation needed ]
In modern times, parts of the aqueduct including the Piscina Mirabilis were vital to the region's survival as air-raid shelters during World War II.
There are few visible remains of the aqueduct today, although much of it still exists below ground. Traces of the original structure may be found at a number of sites in and around Naples.
These include:
Recently, arches of the twin aqueduct have been revealed in cellars of buildings in Rione Sanità, [26] in 6 via Arena alla Sanità, and are open to the public. They run from north to south for a long section at a separation of 10m and then come as close as 2m in the southern part. The western channel is Augustan, whereas the eastern part was added later. [27]
They sparked increased interest in research, which has led to more exploration of the line of the monumental aqueduct. An immense cistern on the line of the channels has been found next to the Hellenistic necropolis. Also a new piece of the ancient aqueduct has been identified uphill from via Foria in the “Miracoli” district where the channel runs underground for 220 m.
It features prominently in the novel Pompeii by Robert Harris, whose protagonist is a water engineer ("Aquarius") sent from Rome to maintain the aqueduct in AD 79 during the time around the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
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.
Cumae was the first ancient Greek colony of Magna Graecia on the mainland of Italy, founded by settlers from Euboea in the 8th century BC and soon became one of the strongest colonies. It later 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.
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.
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.
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.
The Crypta Neapolitana is an ancient Roman road tunnel near Naples, Italy. It was built in 37 BC and is over 700 metres long.
Agnano is a suburb of Napoli, Italy, situated southwest of the city in the Campi Flegrei region. It was popular among both ancient Greeks and Romans and was famed for its hot sulphurous springs.
The Aqua Appia was the first Roman aqueduct, constructed in 312 BC by the co-censors Gaius Plautius Venox and Appius Claudius Caecus, the same Roman censor who also built the important Via Appia.
Posillipo is an affluent residential quarter of Naples, southern Italy, located along the northern coast of the Gulf of Naples.
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.
Serino is a town and comune in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy.
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.
The Piscina Mirabilis 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 built by the ancient Romans, compared to the largest Roman reservoir, the Yerebatan Sarayi in Istanbul.
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.
The House of Loreius Tiburtinus is renowned for well-preserved art, mainly in wall-paintings as well as its large gardens.
The Aqua Alexandrina was a Roman aqueduct located in the city of Rome. The 22.4 km long aqueduct carried water from Pantano Borghese to the Baths of Alexander on the Campus Martius. It remained in use from the 3rd to the 8th century AD.
The Aqua Marcia is one of the longest of the eleven aqueducts that supplied the city of Rome. The aqueduct was built between 144–140 BC, during the Roman Republic. The still-functioning Acqua Felice from 1586 runs on long stretches along the route of the Aqua Marcia.
The Aqua Anio Vetus was an ancient Roman aqueduct, and the second oldest after the Aqua Appia.
Naples (Italy) and its immediate surroundings preserve an archaeological heritage of inestimable value and among the best in the world. For example, the archaeological park of the Phlegraean Fields is directly connected to the centre of Naples through the Cumana railway, and the nearby sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and Oplontis are among the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)The area was also of military importance because of its excellent natural harbours. During the war with Pompeius, Augustus ordered the construction of a harbour complex just west of Puteoli, named Portus Iulius, where an old Greek dam was restored to create an artificial lake, Lacus Lucrinus, which was then connected by a channel to another lake, Lacus Avernus, which was traditionally one of the entrances to the underworld. Later, this harbour was seen as less ideal, because of silting problems, and a new complex was built further west, at Misenum, where two lakes were connected to become the basis of the western Mediterranean war fleet. This major naval base needed large quantities of fresh water for the base itself and for the ships, which must have been one of the reasons why Augustus had a new aqueduct built.
Dating: Until 1938 the construction of the Aqua Augusta was credited to Claudius. Based on the inscription above from the 4th c. CE it is thought that Augustus was the builder; perhaps Claudius was responsible for the extension to Misenum.
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