Rome’s Oldest Aqueduct

Top 10 Discoveries of 2017 January/February 2018

Rome, Italy
(Bruno Fruttini)
SHARE:

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.

MORE FROM Top 10 Discoveries of 2017

  • Features January/February 2018

    Where the Ice Age Caribou Ranged

    Searching for prehistoric hunting grounds in an unlikely place

    Read Article
    (Paul Nicklen/National Geographic Creative)
  • Letter From Albania January/February 2018

    A Road Trip Through Time

    As a new pipeline cuts its way through the Balkans, archaeologists in Albania are grabbing every opportunity to expose the country’s history—from the Neolithic to the present

    Read Article
    (TAP/G. Shkullaku)
  • Artifacts January/February 2018

    Roman Dog Statue

    Read Article
    (Eve Andreski/Courtesy Gloucester County Council)
  • Digs & Discoveries January/February 2018

    The Secrets of Sabotage

    Read Article
    (Bjørn Harry Schønhaug)