Jens Koehler

The paper will present first results of a research project started in 2014/2015. Beyond a discussion of general questions about the Aqua Alexandrina, special focus will be on recent surveys in the Pantano region East of Rome, where the source can be located and where impressing ruins are still waiting for documentation. The identification of the visible remains with the Aqua Alexandriana, Rome's last ancient aqueduct inaugurated in AD 226, has to be re-evaluated through a critical analysis of the ancient and medieval text sources and a review of Raffaello Fabretti's and E. B Van Deman's and Th. Ashby's publications. One major problem in this concern is the lack of evidence for the urban track of the aqueduct, as for its final destination (to the Thermae of Alexander Severus?). A more detailed documentation of various parts of the aqueduct has to be done both in the urban area and in the countryside. Pieces running above ground, more than once on high arches – only the double-arched bridge crossing Viale Palmiro Togliatti is relatively well known – alternate with those conducted underground. The great diversity of building materials and techniques employed in the aqueduct show the many phases of its life: probably from the early 3rd to the 9th century AD. Of particular interest is the construction of a second specus on top of the first, not far from the source area. A closer look on calcareous sinter deposits in the channel and their massive formation below many leaks may contribute to a better understanding of function and abandonment of the Aqua Alexandrina.