Built in the early first century BC during the Augustan era in Naples, Italy, the “Aqua Augusta” is one of the largest and most sophisticated aqueducts in the Roman Empire. Now, a previously unknown section of the ‘Aqua Augusta’ aqueduct has elicited excitement from both archaeologists and historians.
The Aqua Augusta supplied potable drinking water from the Serino springs at the Campanian Apennines, which is the main spring area of the karst aquifer in the Terminio massif (Southern Italy). Despite its historical significance, the Aqua Augusta remains one of the least researched and comprehended aqueducts from the Roman era. And as such, the lost tunnel has hit today’s headlines.
The Longest Stretch of the Aqua Augusta
Constructed by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a close friend and son-in-law of the Roman emperor Augustus, the Aqua Augusta measures around 90 miles (145 kms) and it was the longest aqueduct in the Roman world for over 400 years. Running from the Posillipo hill, an affluent residential quarter of Naples, to the crescent-shaped island of Nisida, the rediscovered section of the Aqua August is approximately 640 meters (2,100 ft) in length, representing the longest known stretch discovered to date.
Despite its historical importance, until now the Aqua Augusta had received limited attention from researchers. The newfound segment of the Aqua Augusta, however, was identified by the Cocceius Association , a non-profit group specializing in speleo-archaeological work, the
