Nijmegen (Netherlands)

A series of long existing earth works in the woods south of Nijmegen (NL) - six in total, possibly from the 1st c AD - could have been the preparations for a 5,5 km long aqueduct which destination was the castra of the 10th legion at the 'Kops Plateau' in Nijmegen. After intensive scientific research no remains are found of any water conduit: pieces of stone, metal rings (to tight wooden pipes), pieces of pottery and lead remains are absent.

On the other hand, there are many indications to support the aqueduct hypothesis:

• at three out of the four castra along the lower part of the river Rhine (Neuss, Cologne and Vetera/Xanten, all in Germany nearby) a (kind of) aqueduct has been found
• the output of the existing well and cistern at the castra were insufficient to supply one (temporarily even two) legion(s) with drinking water
• new research proofs that when building an aqueduct for the castra only two traces are possible; a Northern one which will experiences severe difficulties; the other one coincides with the earth works as present in the woods today
• there where obstacles in the chosen SW trace could block the watercourse, the proper earth works are available on the right spots to solve the problems
• the existing earth works are of ancient date (before 1600 AD) and could have been part of one system with a gradient of about 0,2% (technical suitable)
• the last part of the trace - the 'Broerdijk' in the present city of Nijmegen - is heading for the highest area of the castra
• almost all hypotheses on alternative forms of use (defense works, roads, mining, water mill complex, landslide prevention etc) have been rejected on good grounds.

The dry canal called Louisedal, in origin 7m deep and 2,5m wide could have been one of the caption areas, the water source for the aqueduct. It can easily be visited via a parking lot and an alley / wood-path at the N side of the Meerwijkselaan, Nijmegen (NL)

• the Kerstendal, a dry canal on 60m NAP-level, about 3,5m wide and 1,25m deep, could have been the caption area, the water source for the aqueduct [hardly accessible but visible from the road called Kleefse Baan (just before the village of Berg en Dal), coordinates: 191.32 / 425.70]
• nowadays Water Meerwijk is a pool, in antiquity possibly in use as a settling basin [inaccessible but visible from the Meerwijkselaan, coordinates: 191.25 / 425.17]
• the function of the dry canal called Louisedal, in origin 7m deep and 2,5m wide, is unknown [it can easily be visited via a parking lot and an alley / wood-path at the N side of the Meerwijkselaan; coordinates 190.39 / 425.56]
• in the Marienbos a (roman?) V-shaped canal was found, 3m deep and 7 m wide including a potsherd from the 1rst c AD [open to the public, in between the roads localled called Sophiaweg and Bosweg; coordinates 189.55 / 426.44]
• right across an alley in the wood (a continuation of the Koning Davidlaan) in between the Louisedal and the Marienbos one may find a longitudinal piling-up of earth (see photos) with all characteristics of a substructure of an aqueduct [coordinates 189.73 / 426.15]
• the Broerdijk (public road) has all the features of a dyke right across the Hengstdal valley and may have served as a substructure of the aqueduct, all the more because it is heading for the highest grounds of the castra of the 10th legion at Kops Plateau [coordinates of the Broerdijk: 189.35 / 427.45].

Army camp of the Xth legion Gemina, Kops Plateau CASTRA LEGIO X GEMINA

Overview S of Nijmegen	Surmized trace	Kerstendal I	Kerstendal II
Water Meerwijk I	Water Meerwijk II	W of Water Meerwijk	Louisedal I
Louisedal II	Louisedal III	Louisedal IV	Koning Davidlaan I
Koning Davidlaan II	Koning Davidlaan III	Marienbosch	Bosweg
Broerdijk	Broerdijk / Broerweg	Theresiaweg nr 9