Roman Aqueduct of Mytilene

For the beauty and splendour of Mytilene in Roman times -which was comparable to that of Rhodes and Ephesus- we are informed by the written sources and the literary testimonies of the period, as they are preserved through the work of the ancient writers (Horace, Odes: 1.7.1, Epistles: 1.11.17). There are frequent references to the excellent urban planning of the city, its magnificent public buildings and luxurious houses. There is no doubt that the city of Mytilene flourished and prospered during the Roman period, a fact that is also documented by the abundance of archaeological evidence, which is no other than the visible material remains and the sometimes well-preserved monuments of the period. The latter include the multiple-arch, monumental, marble water bridge of Moria, which was part of a larger, ambitious technical work of the period, the famous Roman aqueduct, constructed to meet the extensive water supply needs of the inhabitants of the city of Mytilene in Roman times.

Starting from the surficial springs of “Tsingos” and with intermediate supply from lakes, rivers and other sources that were in its course, the aqueduct, travelling a total distance of about 33 km., carried the abundant water from the foothills of Mount Olympus in Agiasos (area of Agios Dimitrios and Megali Limni) to the eastern side of the island, where the city of Mytilene was built.

More specifically, from the studies of former researchers, the preserved material remains and the more recent excavation data -in combination with the findings of the archaeological research- we can reconstruct the overall course of the aqueduct and the main locations through which the aqueduct passed. Starting from Megali Limni and the springs of “Tsingos” in Agios Dimitrios and heading from west to east, it passed, through above-ground and underground sections and with the help of water bridges, from the locations: Aneraida, Thyridia, Paspala, Agioi Aggeloi, Kousteri, Vrysoudia, Larissaies Petres, Kamaroudia, Prineri Katifori, Fanos, Moria, Koutsouk Loutsa and ended up at the central water collection and distribution reservoir (castellum divisorium) which was probably located on the hill of Agia Kyriaki, within the city walls, under the “Tekke” of the ancient theatre. Further underground branches of the main conduit supplied water to the baths, cisterns, public fountains and the luxurious private houses of the city.

It has been estimated that the amount of water supplied by the aqueduct to the city per day varied -depending on weather conditions, the state of maintenance of the pipeline and so on -between 11,500 and 14,500 m3. In regards to its general technical characteristics, the aqueduct was rectangular in cross-section (with a variable width of 0.60-0.65 m. and a height of 0.85-0.90 m.), watertight, internally coated with hydraulic mortar and adapted to the soil/geological characteristics of the areas through which it passed. The technical excellence of the aqueduct is largely due to the smoothing of the multiple geomorphological inequalities and altitudinal variations in the terrain encountered along its course, which the architect managed to achieve in various ways: the construction of vaulted pipes, built or carved into the rock, underground or above ground, tanks and water bridges (single-arch, double-arch, four-arch, multiple-arch bridges) which, with the necessary gradually decreasing hydraulic gradient, ensured the continuous flow of water.

Particularly characteristic but also impressive from a technical point of view is the section of the aqueduct at the site of Prineri Katifori. Continuing its course to the east, the aqueduct is found carved into the rocky slopes along the stream below the ‘Fountain of Atsigkana’. It then crosses the large rocky mass it encounters with the help of an underground built tunnel, about 1 km. long and with a maximum depth of about 35 m.

However, the monumental character of this great technical work is undoubtedly reflected in its large-scale above-ground architectural elements and its nine arched water bridges, some fragmentary and others well-preserved to this day: the three single-arch water bridges at Aneraida, Kousteri and Paspala, the two double-arch ones at Kamaroudia and Koutsouk Loutsa, the three four-arch ones at Paspala, Vrysoudia and Thyridia, and the most impressive of all, the multiple-arch monumental marble water bridge at Moria.

The multiple-arch monumental marble water bridge of Moria

The water bridge of Moria, the most important part of the Roman aqueduct and perhaps the greatest monument in the countryside of Lesbos, bridged the unevenness and altitudinal divergence of the terrain between the slopes and the valley in which it was built, 500 m. south of the homonymous settlement. With a maximum overall length of 170 m. (at the height of the aqueduct) and a height of 24.46 m. (in the centre of the valley), it consists of 16 rectangular pillars, built according to the pseudo-isodomic system, with 17 arched openings between them. In the middle of the water bridge, each of the openings is divided into two and, gradually, in the central and upper part of the bridge, into three successive rows of double arches and triple arches respectively.

At the height of the base of each successive arcade, the pillars are topped, successively and in correspondence, with a capital consisting of a cut-away decorative strip and abacus, thus giving the impression that they are three-part and reinforcing the classicist style, which obviously pervades the architectural elements of the work as a whole. The rectangular stones of the pillars have shaped fronts and are decorated with an enclosing band. The stones are joined together without any – at least visible – binding material or metal links, with the exception of the top stones, which were fixed at the top by means of leaded metal pointed bolts.

Today, the central pillars are well-preserved, as well as the lower layers of the outermost pillars. From the lower archway, one of the original five stone arches survives. From the middle archway, eight of the original thirteen marble arches survive, while from the upper archway, which also supported the aqueduct, only two of the original fifteen or seventeen arches survive and the starting point of a third.

In the absence of epigraphic documents and historical context and on the basis of the available archaeological data, the Roman aqueduct of Mytilene could be placed chronologically in the time of Hadrian and more specifically, in the second half of the 2nd c. AD, while less likely is the version of an earlier dating in the years of the engineer Agrippa, son-in-law of Augustus. This is supported by the similarities and common typological elements observed in the architectural parts and construction details (e.g. the structure of the pillars and arches) of its water bridges, with those of the aqueducts of ancient Side and Antioch of Pisidia.

The multiple-arch marble water bridge at Moria is undoubtedly the epitome of the monumental architectural expression of this great and important utilitarian technical work of the Roman period. It is no coincidence that Ioannis D. Kontis described it as ‘the entire construction resembled a single building façade with three successive stoae‘. Its unique architectural design makes it one of the most beautiful water bridges of the ancient world.

Location

Municipality: Mytilene

Municipal Section: Mytilene

Location: Moria

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