
The Aqua Marcia () is a long
Roman aqueduct
The Romans constructed aqueducts throughout their Republic and later Empire, to bring water from outside sources into cities and towns. Aqueduct water supplied public baths, latrines, fountains, and private households; it also supported min ...
, and the longest of
eleven aqueducts that supplied the city of
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. The aqueduct was built between 144–140 BC. The still-functioning
Acqua Felice from 1586 runs on long stretches along the route of the Aqua Marcia.
Together with the
Aqua Anio Vetus,
Aqua Anio Novus and
Aqua Claudia
Aqua Claudia ("the Claudius, Claudian water") was an ancient Roman aqueduct that, like the Aqua Anio Novus, was begun by Emperor Caligula (37–41 AD) in 38 AD and finished by Emperor Claudius (41–54 AD) in 52 AD.
It was the eighth aqueduct to ...
, it was an exceptional technical achievement and is regarded as one of the "four great aqueducts of Rome."
Although the source of the aqueduct was further downstream than the
Anio Novus, technical progress allowed the later Anio Novus to use more bridges to shorten its path instead of following contour lines as the Marcia does.
It was the first to enter Rome on arches, which were used for the last , and which were also used later combined with the
Aqua Tepula and
Aqua Julia.
History
At the beginning of the 2nd century BC, the first two aqueducts of Rome (
Aqua Appia
The Aqua Appia was the first Roman aqueduct, and its construction was begun in 312 BC by the Roman censor, censor Appius Claudius Caecus, who also built the important Via Appia. By the end of the 1st century BC it had fallen out of use as an aq ...
and Aqua Anio Vetus) had become dilapidated and many illegal diversions decreased the flow so much that in 184 BC the ''
censor''
Cato the Elder
Marcus Porcius Cato (, ; 234–149 BC), also known as Cato the Censor (), the Elder and the Wise, was a Roman soldier, Roman Senate, senator, and Roman historiography, historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization. He wa ...
passed laws to remove illegal pipes and supplies to private individuals.
Nevertheless flow rates were still too low to meet growing demand, so the Senate decided to build a new aqueduct, longer and more ambitious than the previous ones, bringing water to the
Capitoline Hill
The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; ; ), between the Roman Forum, Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome.
The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn (mythology), Saturn. The wo ...
, a technical feat for the time due to its height. The
praetor
''Praetor'' ( , ), also ''pretor'', was the title granted by the government of ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected ''magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to disch ...
Quintus Marcius Rex (an ancestor of
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
) was entrusted with supervision of the work, for whom it is named and whose judiciary role was extended for the completion of the work. It was largely paid for by spoils from the recent Roman conquests of
Corinth
Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...
in 146 BC and the destruction of Carthage at the end of the
Third Punic War
The Third Punic War (149–146 BC) was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between Carthage and Rome. The war was fought entirely within Carthaginian territory, in what is now northern Tunisia. When the Second Punic War ended in 20 ...
, in the same year.
Its extension to the Capitoline Hill caused controversy because traditionalists were concerned about a passage in the ''
Sibylline Books'' warning against bringing water there and in 140 BC the case was brought before the Senate who rejected it.
It was repaired for the first time in 33 BC by
Agrippa then was largely rebuilt by
Augustus
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
between 11 and 4 BC following a report of the consuls Quintus Aelius Tubero and Paullus Fabius Maximus. This restoration is commemorated by an inscription placed on the arch spanning the Via Tiburtina, later integrated into the Aurelian Wall. Augustus also augmented the supply by linking it to an additional source, called Augusta after its donor, 800 roman paces—ca. —away from the original source.
Much of its supply was eventually siphoned off by private citizens for their own use, making it effectively only a trickle in the city by the time of
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...
. The supply was increased again by later emperors.
Frontinus
Sextus Julius Frontinus (c. 40 – 103 AD) was a Roman civil engineer, author, soldier and senator of the late 1st century AD. He was a successful general under Domitian, commanding forces in Roman Britain, and on the Rhine and Danube frontier ...
measured the flow of the Aqua Marcia at its source around AD 97 as 4690
quinaria
A quinaria (plural: quinariae) is a Roman unit of area, roughly equal to . Its primary use was to measure the cross-sectional area of pipes in Roman water distribution systems. A "one quinaria" pipe is in diameter.
In Roman times, there was ...
e, making it the second-greatest source of the city's water. Modern estimates of size of one quinaria vary over a wide range, from to of water a day, giving the Aqua Marcia a flow rate of to of water a day.
The branch to the
Caelian Hill and the
Aventine Hill
The Aventine Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome.
Location and boundaries
The Aventine Hill is the southernmost of Rome's seven hills. I ...
was rebuilt completely during the rule of
Trajan
Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...
. Trajan's successor
Hadrian
Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...
restored parts of the aqueduct. Later restorations were also made during the joint rule of
Septimius and
Caracalla
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname Caracalla (; ), was Roman emperor from 198 to 217 AD, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father and then r ...
in 196 AD, the latter commissioning further work on the aqueduct during his (later) sole rule. Caracalla added another source for the aqueduct as well, to supply
baths he also built. It is possible that Diocletian too commissioned restoration works on the aqueduct after building the
Baths of Diocletian
The Baths of Diocletian (Latin: ''Thermae Diocletiani'', Italian: ''Terme di Diocleziano'') were public baths in ancient Rome. Named after emperor Diocletian and built from AD 298 to 306, they were the largest of the imperial baths. The project w ...
, and the last work on the aqueduct probably took place while
Arcadius
Arcadius ( ; 377 – 1 May 408) was Roman emperor from 383 to his death in 408. He was the eldest son of the ''Augustus'' Theodosius I () and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and the brother of Honorius (). Arcadius ruled the eastern half of ...
ruled the Eastern Emprire and
Honorius
Honorius (; 9 September 384 – 15 August 423) was Roman emperor from 393 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla. After the death of Theodosius in 395, Honorius, under the regency of Stilicho ...
was the emperor of the West.
Route

The ancient source for the aqueduct was near where small lakes were formed by two springs in the
Anio valley between the modern towns of
Arsoli and
Marano Equo. This general locale, in hills to the east of Rome, was also used for other aqueducts including the
Anio Vetus,
Anio Novus, and
Aqua Claudia
Aqua Claudia ("the Claudius, Claudian water") was an ancient Roman aqueduct that, like the Aqua Anio Novus, was begun by Emperor Caligula (37–41 AD) in 38 AD and finished by Emperor Claudius (41–54 AD) in 52 AD.
It was the eighth aqueduct to ...
. The Aqua Marcia was well known for its cold and pure waters and the same source is used today to supply the modern aqueduct.
The route was mainly underground for the first 80 km after which it emerged on large monumental arches to ensure there was a good water ''
head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...
'' (pressure) for distribution in Rome. The initial stretch of the aqueduct flanked the right bank of the river Anio, crossing it with a bridge just before Vicovaro and joining the route of the Aqua Anio Vetus (at a lower altitude). It continued towards Tivoli and then, bypassing the Tiburtini Mountains and after the current municipality of Gericomio it crossed the Gallicano area and the
via Praenestina
The Via Praenestina (modern Italian: Via Prenestina) was an ancient Roman road in central Italy.
Initially called Via Gabiana, from Gabii, the ancient city of Old Latium to which it ran, it received a new name having been extended as far as Pr ...
in Lazio with alternating bridges (of which many are visible) and underground sections. After the Capannelle area it headed directly to Rome and surfaced at the seventh mile of the
Via Latina, where there was a ''limaria'' pool (settling basin). From here a stretch of about 9 km arches flanked the Via Latina and reached Rome in the locality ''ad spem veterem'', near Porta Maggiore, where other aqueducts met.
From here it followed the future
Aurelian Walls
The Aurelian Walls () are a line of city walls built between 271 AD and 275 AD in Rome, Italy, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Aurelian. They superseded the earlier Servian Wall built during the 4th century BC.
The walls enclosed all the ...
until it crossed
Via Tiburtina
Via Tiburtina is an ancient road in Italy leading east-northeast from Rome to Tivoli (Latin: Tibur) and then, with the Via Valeria, on to Pescara (Latin: Aternum).
Historical road
It was probably built by the Roman censor Marcus Valerius ...
on an arch later transformed into
Porta Tiburtina. The route passed the
Viminal gate, where Termini Station stands today, and ended near the Collina gate, where the main ''castellum aquae'' for distribution stood, near the current Via XX Settembre. The main branch of the subsequent network (which covered 2/3 of the city) reached the
Quirinal and then the
Capitol, while a secondary branch (rivus Herculaneus), which started from the Tiburtina gate, served the
Caelian and the
Aventine.
Bridges

Aqueduct Marcia bridges visible today include: Ponte San Pietro, Ponte Lupo, Ponte Caipoli, Ponte della Bullica, Ponte degli Arci.
Ponte San Pietro
With its enormous central arch 16 m wide, it is an impressive bridge over the Mola stream. It was originally built in ashlars of local, porous calcareous stone. The abutments, 3.84 m wide at the base, gradually decreased to 2.77 m which must have had beautiful effect. The north-west side probably included a smaller arch while the south-east side had three small arches. It underwent reinforcement under Titus or Hadrian when it was entirely covered in cement and the entire south-east end was rebuilt.
Ponte Lupo
The Ponte Lupo is considered one of the most famous and interesting bridges of the Roman aqueducts;
[A. Nibby 1827. A map of Rome's surroundings with comments and a historical-topographical analysis of ancient Rome.] to allow the Aqua Marcia to cross the deep
Aniene
The Aniene (; ), formerly known as the Teverone, is a river in Lazio, Italy. It originates in the Apennines at Trevi nel Lazio and flows westward past Subiaco, Italy, Subiaco, Vicovaro, and Tivoli, Italy, Tivoli to join the Tiber in northern Rome ...
Valley on its way to Rome it had to be more than 30 m high and over 80 m long. Along its top ran a road which joined the two sides. The bridge was built in 144 BC as part of the Aqua Marcia.
It is located on the private estate of San Giovanni in Campo Orazio.
Ponte Caipoli
Ponte Caipoli carried the aqueduct originally on a single large arch fromm 144 BC which was later replaced by a double brick arch over the Caipoli stream at a height of 13 m. The bridge underwent numerous restorations in the following centuries which are still clearly visible on the abutments and the vault. Between the Ponte Caipoli and the Ponte della Bullica the tunnel is dug into the tuff about 1.2 m wide and 200 m long and can still be seen, following a tortuous route.
Ponte della Bullica
The Ponte della Bullica crosses the Collafri stream with a single round arch in radial tuff ashlars with a span of 5.8 m and is 5.5 m high, 3.3 m wide and 10.6 m long. It dates to the Augustan age without ever having undergone radical restorations. On the tuff banks on either side are Roman rooms about 30 m from the bridge for maintenance workers.
On the southwest bank is a service tunnel (the Bullica tunnel). The tunnel is about 230 m long, wide enough for vehicles and was built at the same time as the aqueduct. Every 30–40 m are vertical inspection shafts (''putei'') for access to the aqueduct below, which made the shafts shorter than if they had to reach the surface, and allowed easier extraction of material and maintenance by wagons crossing Collafri hill.
See also
*
Ancient Roman technology
Ancient Roman technology is the collection of techniques, skills, methods, processes, and engineering practices which supported Roman civilization and made possible the expansion of the economy and military of ancient Rome (753 BC – 476 AD). ...
*
Parco degli Acquedotti
*
Roman engineering
*
List of aqueducts in the city of Rome
*
List of aqueducts in the Roman Empire
*
List of Roman aqueducts by date
References
Bibliography
*
Coarelli, Filippo, ''Guida Archeologica di Roma'', Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Milano, 1989.
*
Claridge, Amanda,
Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide', Oxford University Press, New York, 1998
*
External links
Information on Roman aqueducts
{{Coord, 41.8711, N, 12.5389, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:IT, display=title
Buildings and structures completed in the 2nd century BC
Marcia