The reconstruction of a Roman water bridge in Attica

Abstract

Original title: Rekonstruktion einer römischen Wasserbrücke in Attika

In the Nea Ionia area (northeast of Athens) stand two relatively well-preserved Roman water bridges constructed in ^{opus mixtum}. The extant remains consist of piers that carried one or two stacked rows of arches, on top of which lay the water conduit that spanned the riverbed. Until now, only Kaupert’s Karten von Attika (maps of Attica) and brief reports by Ziller and Kordellas made note of these monuments. The eastern water bridge ran from east to west and was part of an aqueduct that supplied water from the Kefalari district in Kifissia to the Patissia district. It is less well-preserved than the western water bridge, eleven piers of which still stand in an unbroken row. The reconstruction shows that this water bridge had a length of at least 138 m and consisted of at least 18 piers.