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39-615: The building was located in the Saepta Julia , a large square in the Campus Martius used for public comitia (assemblies). The square, a large free space surrounded by porticoes, was finished by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa , admiral and friend of emperor Augustus , in 27 BC. The portico of the Argonauts was added in 25 BC, to commemorate Agrippa's naval victories in 31 BC: it took its name from its decorations, which depicted

78-499: A stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Saepta Julia The Saepta Julia was a building in the Campus Martius of Rome , where citizens gathered to cast votes. The building was conceived by Julius Caesar and dedicated by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in 26 BC. The building replaced an older structure, called the Ovile , built as a place for the comitia tributa to gather to cast votes. The Saepta Julia can be seen on

117-434: A gradient meant that the water would not flow at all. Different degrees of gradient were used for different reasons. While traveling through a tunnel, for example, a steeper gradient could be used to speed up water flow. Since inside the tunnel repairs were less likely to be needed the water could flow at a higher rate requiring a steeper gradient and then once through the tunnel the gradient would need to decrease in order for

156-462: A lofty portico and a roof. The building was initially intended to be used as a voting place for both the comitia centuriata and the comitia tributa . However, with the diminishing importance of the voting comitias from the Augustan period onward, the building began to be repurposed. Gladiatorial combats were exhibited during the period of Augustus, and the building was also used by the senate as

195-458: A meeting point. When Tiberius returned from Germany, after his military procession, he was presented in this building by Augustus. Both Augustus and Caligula used this building for naumachiae . It was used for gymnastics competitions and exhibitions during the reign of Nero. Statius and Martial report that it was used intermittently as a public space for Roman citizens, as well as a market for luxury goods. Aqua Virgo The Aqua Virgo

234-544: A network of 18 castella (distribution cisterns) along the route. There were numerous repairs over time: Tiberius in 37 AD, Claudius between 45 AD and 46 AD, then Constantine the Great and Theodoric . Emperor Claudius renovated it in 46 AD, as witnessed by an inscription on the architrave in via del Nazzareno, which states that he rebuilt large sections of the aqueduct at this point because Caligula had removed stone for use in constructing an amphitheatre . In 537 AD,

273-427: A pipe. A reservoir is provided, and in this way water is supplied from below for fountains. The aqueducts at first were financed mainly through wealth collected from war and the patronage of wealthy individuals. Taxes from conquered peoples also served to help finance the building by taxation, because the aqueducts were never meant to pay for themselves, but serve as a benefit to the people of Rome. In Republic times,

312-416: A smooth contact surface, and to make the contact surface continuous and joint free from one end to the other. In order to maintain the slight downward gradient, the aqueducts didn’t follow a direct route to Rome, but instead used the lay of the land. Typically, the gradient was shallow to make the water flow slower, so fewer repairs would be needed due to quicker water flows causing damage and too shallow of

351-538: A variety of dimensions. This has led some scholars to speculate on the existence of a second floor. The Saepta was supplied with water by Aqua Virgo , which supplied the majority of buildings on the Campus Martius. The Porticus Argonautarum lined the western side of the Saepta Julia. It was completed by Agrippa ca. 25 BC, and received its name from the artwork it depicted, which showed Jason and

390-486: A “ cut and cover ” technique where the channel path was cut into the ground and then covered in order to easily access the channels that were in need of repair. The floors and walls of the channels were lined with cement , and the roof was usually a vault . The cement was usually as high as the water would reach, which was meant to be about a half to two thirds full. Lining the walls and floor with cement served three purposes: to protect against leaks and seepage, to provide

429-586: Is also attested on a post- Constantine bronze collar of a slave, but there is no known mention of the building in the Middle Ages. The Saepta Julia can be seen on the Forma Urbis Romae , a map of the city of Rome as it existed in the early 3rd century AD. Part of the original wall of the Saepta Julia can still be seen right next to the Pantheon Due to the limited archaeological remains,

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468-480: Is thought to be derived from the purity and clarity of the water because it does not chalk significantly. According to a legend repeated by Frontinus , thirsty Roman soldiers asked a young girl for water, who directed them to the springs that later supplied the aqueduct; Aqua Virgo was named after her. Its source is just before the 8th milestone north of the Via Collatina . It collected water from springs near

507-697: The Forma Urbis Romae , a map of the city of Rome as it existed in the early 3rd century AD. Part of the original wall of the Saepta Julia can still be seen right next to the Pantheon. The conception of the Saepta Julia, which also goes by Saepta or Porticus Saeptorum, began during the reign of Julius Caesar. It took the form of a quadriporticus , an architectural feature made popular by Caesar. After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, work continued on projects that Caesar had set into motion. Marcus Aemilius Lepidus , who had supported Caesar before his death, and subsequently aligned with his successor Octavian , took on

546-646: The Argonauts . A portion of the western wall survives, and is located beside the Pantheon , and suggests that it was made of brick-faced concrete, and covered in marble. Reconstructed by Domitian after the fire of AD 80, this portico was also part of Hadrian's reconstruction of the entire Saepta Julia. The Porticus Meleagri lined the eastern side of the Saepta Julia. Little remains of the Porticus Meleagri, and location and reconstruction rely primarily on

585-541: The Forma Urbis Romae . Although not mentioned, it was most likely constructed during the final decades of the first century BC, along with the dedication of the Saepta. The concept of the Saepta was initially planned by Caesar in place of the earlier Ovile , and was projected as early as 54 BC, and finished by Agrippa in 26 BC. In a letter to Atticus, Cicero writes that the building was to be made of marble, with

624-594: The Goths besieging Rome tried to use this underground channel as a secret route to invade Rome according to Procopius . After deteriorating and falling into disuse with the fall of the Western Roman Empire , the Aqua Virgo was repaired by Pope Adrian I in the 8th century. In 1453, Pope Nicholas V made a complete restoration and extensive remodelling from its source to its terminus points between

663-707: The Pincio and the Quirinale and within Campo Marzio and consecrated it Acqua Vergine . This also led the water to the Trevi Fountain and the fountains of Piazza del Popolo , which it still serves today. In the 1930s, a pressurised version was built, the Acqua Vergine Nuovo, separate from the other channels. Most of the ancient aqueducts were gravity systems, that is by ensuring the source

702-489: The Trastevere area. The route passed from the low area of the Campus Martius over the higher ground of the ridge surrounding the Pantheon basin, and then over the bridge of Agrippa. Tiber River . Distribution was fairly widespread: according to Frontinus, 200 quinaries were reserved for the suburbs, 1457 for public works, 509 for the imperial house, and the remaining 338 for private concessions, all distributed through

741-462: The dioptra in a project such as the aqueducts, the chorobates are not immune to wind disturbing the plummets on the device (weighted strings). The dioptra and water levels were immune to this. Many lifting tools would have been in use during the Roman times in the construction of temples, tall buildings, bridges, and arches to move large stone blocks and materials from, for example, a quarry , to

780-642: The city under the Horti Lucullani and crossed 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) to the area of the Pincian Hill and current Villa Medici , where a spiral staircase (called the Pincio snail) leads to the underground conduit. The long detour was justified because the aqueduct had to serve the northern suburb of the city, until then without a water supply, and because the low level source (only 24 metres (79 ft) above sea level) made it necessary to avoid

819-493: The continuation of the Saepta Julia building project. The building was finally completed and dedicated by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in 26 BC. Agrippa also decorated the building with marble tablets and Greek paintings. The Great Fire of Rome led to its destruction in AD 80. It was rebuilt sometime before the reign of Domitian. Restoration also took place under Hadrian, as is evidenced by brick-work and literary sources. The building

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858-480: The course of the Aniene , a large system (still functioning and inspectable) of aquifers and springs which were conveyed into a basin (existing until the 19th century) by a series of underground tunnels, and fed the canal by regulating the inflow with a dam. It was also supplemented by several feeder channels along its course. The aqueduct ran underground for nearly all of its 20.5 kilometres (12.7 mi) length except

897-542: The current Via del Corso on an arch which was subsequently transformed into a triumphal arch to celebrate the military successes of Claudius in Britain. Later interpretation has found that the aqueduct’s arches continued along the Via del Seminario to a point east of the Pantheon . It terminated in the Campus Martius in front of the Saepta Julia . A secondary branch reached the inadequately served regions VII, IX, and XIV in

936-548: The east and west of the complex. The north end was a lobby, and the south side connected to the Diribitorium through an uncolonnaded, broad corridor. The only entrances that have been discerned are minor entrances on the south end of the complex. Archaeological excavations underneath the Palazzo Doria uncovered multiple travertine piers. While the majority of the piers measured 1.7 meters square, other piers showed

975-438: The job site and then lifted into place. It is to be made of bronze. The lower part consists of two similar cylinders at a small distance apart, with outlet pipes. These pipes converge like the prongs of a fork, and meet in a vessel placed in the middle. In this vessel, valves are to be accurately fitted above the top openings of the pipes. And the valves by closing the mouths of the pipes retain what has been forced by air into

1014-537: The last stretch of 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) running partly on arches in the Campus Martius area, of which two sections remain. The aqueduct dropped only 4 metres (13 ft) along its length to its terminus in the centre of the Campus Martius. The route made a very wide arc, starting from the east and entering the city from the north. It ran along via Collatina up to the Portonaccio area, passed via Nomentana to via Salaria , and then turned south and entered

1053-412: The lathe, and well oiled. Being thus enclosed in the cylinders, they are worked with piston rods and levers. The air and water in the cylinders, since the valves close the lower openings, the pistons drive onwards. By such inflation and the consequent pressure, they force the water through the orifices of the pipes into the vessel. The funnel receives water and forces it out by pneumatic pressure through

1092-595: The majority of archaeological reconstructions are derived from the Forma Urbis Romae and corresponding literary sources. Located on the Campus Martius, between the Baths of Agrippa and the Serapeum , the Saepta Julia was a rectangular porticus complex, which extended along the west side of the Via Lata to the Via di S. Marco. It was 310 meters long by 120 meters wide and was built of travertine marble. Two porticoes lay on

1131-532: The mythological expedition of Jason . Studies of the Forma Urbis (an ancient detailed plan of Rome) have located the portico in what is now Via della Minerva, near the basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva . A brickwork wall preserved along the eastern side of the Pantheon has been assigned to the Porticus Argonautarum. This article about an Ancient Roman building or structure is

1170-424: The private use of aqueduct water was not common; only the overflow water was sold to individuals. In Imperial times, the construction of more aqueducts meant that more water was available to be sold for private use. The source of the water was an empirical science in that when the source was obvious such as a spring, lake, or stream, the engineer had to determine the quality of the water. The engineer had to test

1209-509: The quality of the water supply. Vitruvius , a Roman architect who worked for Caesar and Augustus, wrote the De architectura ( On Architecture ). One concept contained in the De architectura is that the quality of an architectural work depends on the social relevance of an artist’s work, not the form or workmanship of the work itself. Another assertion from Vitruvius is that a structure must exhibit

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1248-468: The steep slopes that the shortest route would have encountered. Probably, the entry into the city from that side also allowed the Campus Martius to be reached without crossing densely populated city areas. After the limaria pool ( settling basin ) near the Pincian, the urban stretch began partially on arches, many discovered in 1871. It then passed through the area of the Trevi Fountain and then crossed

1287-416: The taste, clarity, and flow of the water as well as the physique and complexion of the local people who drank it. Soils and rock types were also used as indicators. Clay was regarded as a poor source, while red tufa was considered pure. Sextus Julius Frontinus wrote a study, De aquaeductu , on the state of the aqueducts of Rome. He points out that the welfare of the urban community of Rome depends on

1326-539: The three qualities of firmitas, utilitas, and vinustas (in English, it must be strong and durable, useful, and beautiful and graceful). The Acqua Vergine is the Renaissance restoration of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct. In 1453, Pope Nicholas V renovated the main channels of the Aqua Virgo and added numerous secondary conduits under Campo Marzio . The original terminus, called a mostra , which means "showpiece",

1365-427: The vessel. Above the vessel, a cover like an inverted funnel is fitted and attached, by a pin well wedged, so that the force of the incoming water may not cause the cover to rise. On the cover of the pip, which is called a trumpet, is jointed to it, and made vertical. The cylinders have, below the lower mouths of the pipes, valves inserted above the openings in their bases. Pistons are now inserted from above rounded on

1404-439: The water to be slowed back down to its average speed. In later times, the use of high arches across valleys and plains were employed for the aqueducts, and some were even as high as 27 metres (89 ft) off the ground. Besides standard water levels similar to those used by contractors today, other kinds of levels were in use during ancient Roman times. Vitruvius explains that while the chorobates may seem to be superior to

1443-525: Was higher than the termination and plotting a uniform course for the aqueduct to follow a downward gradient, gravity would provide all the power needed for the water to flow. The aqueducts were for most of their length channels about 50 centimetres (20 in) to 1 metre (3.3 ft) below ground. Tunnels, pipes, and only the final stretches of the aqueducts used arches. The channels were made of three kinds of material: masonry (the most common form), lead pipes, and terracotta . These channels were made using

1482-407: Was one of the eleven Roman aqueducts that supplied the city of ancient Rome . It was completed in 19 BC by Marcus Agrippa , during the reign of the emperor Augustus and was built mainly to supply the contemporaneous Baths of Agrippa in the Campus Martius . At its peak, the aqueduct was capable of supplying more than 100,000 cubic metres (100,000,000 L) of water per day. The name

1521-600: Was the stately, dignified wall fountain designed by Leon Battista Alberti in Piazza dei Crociferi. Due to several additions and modifications to the end-most points of the conduits during the years that followed, during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the Acqua Vergine culminated in several magnificent mostre : the Trevi Fountain and the fountains of Piazza del Popolo . Two separate aqueducts emerge from

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