Aqua Virgo

The Aqua Virgo was built by Agrippa, to supply his baths. From a source in a marshy spot by the eighth milestone on the Via Collatina, it was conducted by a very circuitous route, chiefly under the ground, to the M. Pincius, whence it was carried on arches to the Campus Martius. Its length was 14,105 passus, of which 12,865 were underground; in its subterranean course it received the water of numerous springs; and its water was as highly esteemed for bathing as that of the aqua Marcia for drinking. It is one of the two aqueducts on the left bank of the Tiber, which are still in use, though on a much-diminished scale (see below.) The origin of its name is variously explained (Frontin. 10; Dion Cass. liv.11; Plin. H.N. xxxi, 3 s. 25; Cassiod. Var. vii.6; Ovid, Trist. iii.12, 22; Martial v.20.9, vi.42.18, xi.47.6).

P. Smith BA (in: A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities 1875, W. Smith DCL LLD)
HOME More literature on more aqueducts Last modified: March 25, 2005 - Wilke D. Schram (wilke@cs.uu.nl)


Castellum Aquae
Catchment tank
Arches
Arch of Claudius

Virgo in Rome I
Virgo in Rome II
Frontview
Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain
Sideview