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Language
English (en)
Date of Award
1997
Author's Department
Art History and Archaeology
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Restricted/Unrestricted
Restricted
Abstract
In Western Europe, it is safe to say that most of the major Roman sites have already been uncovered and are presently being bombarded by the flash bulbs of thousands of tourists a year. Italy has Rome and Pompeii, France has Nîmes, Great Britain has Bath, and Spain has Merida and Numancia. The newest possible addition to this list is the city of Tiermes in the province of Soria, Spain. Although this site had already been documented as a Roman occupation since the turn of the century, consistent archaeological work began in 1975. Since then, so much information has been extracted from the site that it looks as if a new major Roman city has been found. One of the most interesting characteristics of Tiermes is the aqueduct, and this will be the focus of the thesis. As a whole, the study of Roman aqueducts is extensive. Among the hundreds of Roman aqueducts that have been uncovered, no two are exactly alike. There was no standard plan for constructing an aqueduct because of the many different factors to take into account. For instance, prior to being conquered by the Romans, most nations already had a water system which the Romans would augment and improve. Also, resources, terrain, climate and other natural hindrances had to be considered, in addition to physics and engineering. From studying the aqueducts, scholars know that the Romans were advanced in the subjects of physics and hydraulics. The topic of hydraulics, however, is too vast to go into detail. My topic is the aqueduct of Tiermes and not the Roman aqueduct as a whole. I will give a summary of some of the important aspects of the hydraulics but for an in-depth study on the topic, see A. Trevor Hodge's Roman Aqueducts and Water Supply. It is well organized and written, focusing on every aspect of the Roman aqueduct. As for the aqueduct of Tiermes, the work is still ongoing. Although a general layout of the channels is known, it is not completely uncovered. The Southern Channel, for instance, seems just to disappear at one point, while the Northern Channel has been interrupted by various constructions, hiding the entrance point to the city's depository tank. This last mystery had been the focus for the archaeologists, although this past summer some workers and myself uncovered a new path of the aqueduct, perhaps heading to the supposed baths. Unfortunately, the work is not done so I have no concrete answers. The only things I can state are the theories being discussed by the Spanish archaeologists and myself. Aside from that, only further excavation will uncover the solutions to the problems.
Recommended Citation
Elkin, MIchael, "The Roman Aqueduct of Tiermes, Spain" (1997). Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses. 73.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/undergrad_etd/73