Tag: Nymphaeum

The Source of Trajan’s Aqueduct at Risk – from Men and Fig Trees

It was reported in the Telegraph earlier this month that the documentary researchers who identified and filmed the source of an aqueduct built by Trajan in 109 AD are battling for access to the site with a local farmer, owner of the land on which the ancient site stands.

The film-makers, father and son Mike and Ted O’Neill, visited the site with archaeologists during 2009 and their research was announced in January 2010 (read the full story here).

However, since the end of January, the O’Neills and the archaeologists they are working with have not been able to gain access to the site.

They claim that the farmer has destroyed vegetation above and around the ancient nymphaeum and 13th century chapel at the site, including a mature fig tree, whose roots are now holding the fragile Roman structure together.

On the 4th June the team sent a letter calling for help to Rome’s Superintendents of Archaeology, asking for their intervention.

An inspection of the sitelast week by representatives of Rome’s archaeological superintendents, along with members of the local council, the archaeologist Professor Lorenzo Quilici from the University of Bologna and Italy Carabinieri, did not bring good news.

The inspection only confirmed that the fig tree has been cut down and that the network of its roots are holding together the Roman cement, bricks and the plaster on the walls of the Roman structure.

Ted O’Neill said: This is a loss to art as well as a loss to science because the mysterious (and antique) Egyptian blue paint which lines the roman spring chamber is painted onto that Roman intonaco (plaster).

The use of the expensive ‘Egyptian blue’ pigment indicates the site would have been an important building.

O’Neill adds that there is now likely to be a long drawn-out expropriation process while the landowner, the local council and the archaeological authorities thrash out the matter of access and ownership.

During this time, the fear is that there could be irreversible damage to the inside of the ancient aqueduct’s headwaters.

The Bad Fig Tree?

While the fig tree may seem like an innocent member of the plant kingdom, in fact its roots are a big problem for archaeological structures in Italy’s countryside. Ted O’Neill explains in his blog, The Aqueduct Hunters, that the tree’s roots suck up calcium from the soil. However, they also find calcium in the brickwork and cement of the ancient Romans and, when this is removed, the structure is left in a fragile state. Ironically, at the moment the fig tree’s roots are also holding the plaster, brick and cement together and there is a danger that if the roots are removed, then parts of the structure may collapse.

Yet, it appears the real problem for the site of the headwaters of Trajan’s Aqueduct, also known as the Acqua Traina, is the threat of humans and, until a decision can be made on how best to preserve and protect the site, it’s likely that its condition will deteriorate further.

Film-makers Uncover Trajan’s Hidden Roman Aqueduct

Two British film-makers have discovered what they believe to be the source of the 1,900-year old aqueduct built by the emperor Trajan in the early second century AD.

The underground chambers were found and filmed after some years of research into Roman hydraulics by the documentary-makers Ted O’Neill and his father Michael O’Neill.

According to Ted, it took some perseverance to find the location, which was hidden beneath a disused church some 30-40km north-west of Rome. Despite difficulties and delays in getting access to the site, the O’Neills were finally able to enter the underground chambers of the church in June 2009.

While the aqueduct was used from Roman times until the ninth or tenth centuries, by the Renaissance period it had fallen out of use. It was rebuilt by Pope Paul V between 1605 and 1615 and renamed the Aqua Paola after him. It still carries spring water to Rome to this day (culminating at ‘Il Fontanone’ on the Janiculum Hill).

Aqua Traiana: Huge Importance to Ancient Rome

However, the source of the Aqua Traiana/Aqua Paola had fallen out of the public consciousness, despite the fact that it was known as recently as 1935. A reference to it in a book, The Aqueducts of Ancient Rome by Thomas Ashby, who was director of the British School at Rome between 1906 and 1925, helped lead the O’Neill team to the right spot near the ruined chapel of Santa Fiore, on the shores of Lake Martignano (near Lake Bracciano).

The Aqua Traiana transported pure spring water to the Janiculum Hill, providing bathing and drinking water for people in that area, water for industry, as well as water for the original St Peter’s church (built during the reign of Constantine I) from the fourth century onwards.

According to Mike O’Neill, this was of ‘enormous importance’ to ancient Rome. He adds: The site of the water source was also of great religious importance.

Trajan went to great lengths to collect very pure spring water, which enabled a big improvement in hygiene and sanitation, as well as drinking water.

The source is right in ancient Etruria the area of northern Lazio and southern Tuscany today and was also an important water source for the Etruscans. The Romans, under emperor Trajan at the start of the second century AD, then built a nymphaeum at the site and built their aqueduct to take the water to Rome.

This enabled the Romans to bring about what could be seen as one of the first industrial revolutions, said Mike O’Neill. With a plentiful water supply coming into the city from the north, the Romans were able to expand certain industries such as grain grinding and stone sawing.

The water was also important as a domestic source. Trajan went to great lengths to collect very pure spring water, which enabled a big improvement in hygiene and sanitation, as well as drinking water. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that at the time, the empire was able to grow to its greatest extent, while the city of Rome also had a population of as many as 1.5 million.

According to Ted O’Neill, the moment the film-crew entered the underground chambers for the first time, they were struck by the preservation of the Roman opus reticulatum brickwork. They were accompanied by professor Lorenzo Quilici, an expert of ancient Roman topography from the University of Bologna.

Filming Inside the Underground Spring

Ted O’Neill explained: The chapel has two rooms extending off to each side, both of which are bricked off. The base of the structure is semi-oval shaped. The chapel is about 3m below today’s ground level, so a ladder was needed to get down into a chamber behind a bricked-up arch, as well as lighting equipment.

There, the team found beautiful brickwork in pristine condition. Professor Quilici confirmed that they are in fact Roman. Beyond this subterranean chamber, there is a long gallery that leads to the beginnings of Trajan’s aqueduct.

The team was researching and filming another Roman aqueduct at the time the Aqua Alsietina, which also begins at Lake Martignano. Ted O’Neill said: We’ve been very interested in aqueducts from the north of Rome although those that come into Rome from Tivoli and from the Castelli Romani are more commonly talked about.

The shores of both Lake Bracciano and Lake Martignano were known to the ancient Romans as a leisure retreat from the city. The Aqua Alsietina transported water into the Trastevere area of Rome (to Augustus’s ‘naumachia’ -a man-made lake where the Romans could re-enact sea battles).

The O’Neills run a small production company making documentaries and films. Film-makers by trade, their work has led them to some in-depth research into the aqueducts of Rome since they first became interested in the Aqua Vergine Nuova some time ago. They are interested in documenting these ancient structures from an historical viewpoint, as well as covering the Renaissance restorations and the modern state and use of the aqueducts.

As Mike says, Rome is the only city in Europe that uses aqueducts for its entire water supply, which is particularly interesting at a time when water supply is a serious problem in many parts of the world.

A conference giving more information on the source of the Acqua Traiana will be held this Thursday, 28 January at the Hotel Quirinale, via Nazionale, Rome. Contacts: Ted O’Neill (edward.oneill@gmail.com
0039-370-705-1538 – English and Italian) and Mike O’Neill (m.eon@btopenworld.com – English only).

Satellite Image: The Roman Ruins of Leptis Magna

Leptis Magna, which was opened to the public in 2005, represents some of the finest ruins of the Roman age. London-based professional photographer Herb Schmitz recently visited the area and took some fantastic images, and you should watch Heritage Key’s fascinating video interview with Herb as he shares some of his thoughts on his visit to this Libyan treasure. A view you most certainly don’t get to see very often is the satellite view, looking down onto these impressive Roman remains, and the town that has built nearby it. Thanks to Geoeye who have kindly contributed this amazing high resolution aerial image of the Leptis Magna site laying next to the lush blue ocean of the Mediterranean Sea, we can zoom in close and see this culture-rich area.

Leptis Magna is a hidden treasure that has only just opened up to the world, having recently been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Several new discoveries have been made here in the past decade, and it’s one of the most prominent Roman sites in the North African region. The site is a personal favourite of the travel writer Ethel Davies, and boasts several key structures that were crucial to Roman society.

So what can you spot in the below image?The following famous landmarks are all in there:

The Arch of Septimius Severus is named after the Roman emperor Septimius Severus who was born in Leptis Magna. He is credited with stabilising the empire after the chaotic 193AD Year of Five Emperors when the ruler changed several times. Although some of the friezes were moved into a nearby museum, many of them remain on the Arch. The Arch is a key landmark of the city, and anybody approaching from the outside would immediately be greeted by it’s architectural splendour. There are several other arches in the area too including the Arch Tiberius, Arch of Trajan, Arch of Anonious Piud and Arch of Marc Aurillus.

Click the (+) and (-) buttons to zoom in and out of this image, or double click.
Drag the image with your mouse to move to a different area.

The Hadrianic Baths are one of the oldest structures in Leptis Magna to have been constructed from marble.Only the baths of Carthage were bigger than the Hadrianic Baths, and they were constructed in a somewhat modest, but still stunning, architectural style. The baths are complete with dressing rooms, and multiple pools made for both hot and cold water.

New Satellite Images Coming Each Week

Each week, Heritage Key will be showcasing high resolution satellite photography of Ancient World sites from across the globe, courtesy of GeoEye!

You can see last week’s stunning aerial image of the Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza.

Be sure to check back each week to see which Heritage site we cover next.

Also of interest is the Nymphaeum, which is located just outside the baths. This impressive fountain is located at the end of the Colonnaded Street and is formed of a semi-circular facade supported by columns, flanked with a bowl at the base in which the water collects. As the other end of the Colonnaded Street is the Severan Harbour, protected by a lighthouse.

Adjacent to the baths is the Palaestra, which was a gymnasium area that was often used by wrestlers.The space was a large open court where people could play ball, go running, weight lift or even play dice! They would then proceed to cleanse themselves in the baths.

The Amphitheatre was a Roman institution, and is completed built into the depressed topography of the land. Although located a kilometre outside the city, it had a capacity of 16,000 people and would cater for everything from gladiator events to wild animals.

Part of the site contains the Old Forum, which is the site of the Old Basillica and Old Forum Church of Leptis Magna. Many of the remains in this area date from around 0AD, and were temples of the Roman religion; Leptis Magna did not convert to Christianity until later, and new structures were built to account for this, such as the Severan Basilica. There are many temples in Leptis Magna, including the Temple of Liber Pater, the Temple of Rome &Augustus, the Temple of Hercules, Temple of Jupiter Dolichenus and the Temple of Di Augusti.

If you’re stuck for identifying them apart, then have a look at the plan of Leptis Magna on Miklos Kiss’ Flickr photostream, which highlights all the key sites, so you can zoom in on this fantastic high resolution image and pick out all the wonders of Leptis Magna.

The Satellite Image is courtesy of GeoEye.