HADRIAN loved all things Greek (especially Antinous) and Athens was his favorite city.
He showered lavish projects on Athens, including an aqueduct, which is in use again amid a prolonged drought.
Now some residents of Athens, Greece, turn on their sinks, showers and public fountains later this month, water flows to some taps from an ancient source: a 2,000-year-old underground aqueduct originally built by the Roman Empire.
Hadrian's Aqueduct, commissioned by Emperor Hadrian in 125 AD and completed in 140, is one of several projects the ruler, known for his proclivity to build, has to his name.
The aqueduct was originally constructed to fulfill the empire’s ancient water needs and sustain Athens’ public baths. Sloping underground channels collect water from rivers and streams and rain via a network of several hundred wells that were drilled along its length, likely by enslaved workers.
The gravity-fed waterway snakes its way throughout the capital, extending for 15 miles. For 1,300 years, the system operated flawlessly, falling out of use only when Ottomans occupied the city in the 15th century.
Although it was briefly used again during a water shortage in the 19th Century, the aqueduct had not been functional for many years. Now it is supplying Athenians with water again.
No comments:
Post a Comment