Segovia Aqueduct

Segovia Aqueduct
	Aqueduct of Segovia with inscription base and statue of the Virgin Mary
Convicted	Basin in Segovia
place	Segovia ( Spain )
construction	Arch bridge with vaulted vaults
construction time	Time of Trajan (98-117 AD)
	location
Above sea level	1002 m

40.948444444444 -4.1186944444444 1002Coordinates: 40 ° 56 ′ 54 ″ N , 4 ° 7 ′ 7 ″ W

The aqueduct of Segovia in central Spain dates back to the heyday of the Roman Empire and for centuries carried fresh spring water from the mountains of the Sierra de Fuenfría about 17 kilometers away into the city.

history

The aqueduct was probably commissioned by Emperor Domitian (ruled 81–96 AD) and completed in 98 AD under the Roman Emperor Trajan (ruled 98–117 AD). In the Moorish period (1072) it was partially damaged; however, the damage was repaired at the end of the 15th century at the time of the Catholic Monarchs by carefully adding 36 Gothic pointed arches. The aqueduct was in operation until 1974.

Building

Stone material and masonry technology

The pillars were erected using a kind of casting technique, in which a granite wall shell that grew upwards was filled with a mixture of small rubble stones and mortar ( opus caementitium ). The perfectly uniform masonry suggests that the stones were cut to the specified dimensions in the quarry and could be moved on the spot without major post-processing.

architecture

The aqueduct, which is a maximum of 28 meters high, has a total of 163 arches, which are stabilized by 119 intermediate arches (44 double arches in the center and 75 individual arches on the sides). The pillars, which are about 4.50 meters apart in the lower area, spring back slightly and are only connected by stabilizing arches at a clearance height of up to 18 meters in some cases - this daring construction method resulted in enormous savings in material and transport costs. The upper row of arches is significantly lower and slimmer and has a clearance between the undivided pillars of approx. 5.10 meters.

Inscription and statues

Above the three highest arches in the middle there is a brick base, on which an inscription in honor of the builder was once attached. Furthermore, two niches can be seen in which statues of Hercules , the legendary founder of the city, were probably placed. Today there are figures of Our Lady ( Virgen de la Fuencisla ) and St. Sebastian , first mentioned in the 16th century.

meaning

Due to its extremely solid construction with pillar cores made of antique concrete ( opus caementitium ) , stones made of granite and the permanent maintenance over centuries, the Aqueduct of Segovia is considered the best preserved testimony of Roman architecture on the Iberian Peninsula . Since 1985 it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the old town of Segovia . The American Society of Civil Engineers included it in the List of International Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks in 1999 .