Aquae Urbis Romae is an interactive cartographic history of the relationships between hydrological and hydraulic systems and their impact on the urban development of Rome, Italy. Our study begins in 753 BC and will ultimately extend to the present day. Aquae Urbis Romae examines the intersections between natural hydrological elements such as springs, rain, streams, marshes, and the Tiber River, and constructed hydraulic elements such as aqueducts, fountains, sewers, bridges, conduits, etc., that together create the water infrastructure system of Rome.
The long term goals of this project are to increase understanding of the profound relationships that exist between water systems and urbanism in Rome, and by its example, in all cities, landscapes, and environments. It is hoped that this study will foster work by other scholars and designers who are interested in exploring the ways in which water infrastructure can be exploited toward the future development of humane, ecologically responsible, and engaging civic environments. We are further interested in generating serious research in the emerging fields of infrastructural urbanism and landscape urbanism.
Aquae Urbis Romae is undergoing a major reorganization between May 2007 and May 2008. Among other improvements we will add GIS data to all the maps, improve our search engine, and add new maps and images to include data from the Late Antique through the Early Medieval periods. We will add digital copies of important treatises and will publish new articles in "The Waters of Rome", our online occasional journal. Funding for this important work is made possible with a 2006-2007 Collaborative Research Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Please be patient and, as always, do not hesitate to email us if you have specific research questions. In the meantime, please use FIREFOX or SAFARI web browsers for optimal viewing.
Published by the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, University of Virginia. Project Director, Katherine Wentworth Rinne. Copyright 1998-2007.
This project is made possible in part by funding from The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, The Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology, The National Endowment for the Humanities, The Fulbright Commission, The Prince Charitable Trusts, The John Anson Kittredge Educational Trust and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.
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LAST MODIFIED: 26 September 2007
