18 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

New Insights From Researchers About The World’s Longest Aqueduct

The Roman Empire’s aqueducts are magnificent specimens of the art of architecture. Although centuries have passed since these aqueducts were built, they continue to teach us new things in terms of both construction techniques and aesthetics.

Scientists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) studied the Aqueduct of Valens that supplied Constantinople with water and discovered new information on how this system was protected.

The architectural talents of the Roman Empire were undoubtedly far ahead of its time. The theaters, harbors, temples, and roads they built for Roman citizens were quite impressive.

“However, the most ground-breaking technical achievement of the Roman Empire lies in its water management, particularly its long-distance aqueducts that delivered water to cities, baths, and mines,” said Dr. Gül Sürmelihindi from the Geoarchaeology group at Mainz University.

The Romans were not the first to invent aqueducts, but it was they who popularized it. More than 2,000 long-distance Roman aqueducts are known to date, and many more are awaiting discovery.

Dr. Gül Sürmelihindi’s and her research team dissertation focuses on the most impressive late-Roman aqueduct, the water supply lines of Constantinople, now Istanbul in modern-day Turkey.

The 426-kilometer-long aqueduct system of Constantinople. ill./©: Cees Passchier
The 426-kilometer-long aqueduct system of Constantinople. ill./©: Cees Passchier

In 324 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great had an aqueduct built for Constantinople, which had difficulties in freshwater supply after making Constantinople the new capital of the Roman Empire. As the city grew, the size of the aqueduct grew. With this expansion, the total length of the aqueduct reached at least 426 kilometers, making it the longest aqueduct in the ancient world.

Sürmelihindi and her teams investigated carbonate deposits from this aqueduct, i.e., limescale shaped in flowing water, which can be used to learn about water management and the palaeoenvironment at the time. The researchers discovered that the entire aqueduct system housed only thin carbonate deposits, indicating about 27 years of use. However, according to the city’s annals, the aqueduct system operated for more than 700 years, at least until the 12th century.

In other words, it meant that the aqueduct was maintained during the Byzantine Empire.  “Carbonate deposits can block the entire water supply and need to be cleaned from time to time,” said Dr. Sürmelihindi.

The carbonate used in the canal dates from the Byzantine Middle Ages, despite the fact that the aqueduct is late Roman in origin. This prompted the researchers to consider alternative cleaning and maintenance solutions since cleaning and fixing a 426-kilometer channel means it would be unavailable for weeks or months, at a time when the city’s population is reliant on its water supply. The researchers discovered that 50 kilometers of the water system’s central section is built as a double canal, with one aqueduct channel over the other and crossed on two-story bridges.

More information:  DOI: 10.1002/gea.21853

Source: Phys.Org

Related Articles

Ancient Tomb of Nomadic Horse Lord Yields Untouched Treasures and Weapons

2 May 2025

2 May 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery near Grozny has unearthed an undisturbed Alanian tomb dating back over two millennia, revealing a wealth...

Dingoes were regarded as “almost human” in pre-colonial Australia

21 October 2023

21 October 2023

When it comes to Australia’s wild dingoes, the phrase “a dog is a man’s best friend” takes on new meaning....

Researchers Unearthed the First Known Neanderthal Footprints in Portugal

16 July 2025

16 July 2025

New tracksites reveal how Neanderthals navigated Portugal’s ancient dunes 80,000 years ago In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have unearthed the...

3D virtual reconstruction of the Celtic city gate

2 May 2022

2 May 2022

A new 3D virtual reconstruction of the Celtic gate has been made in Staffelberg, in the German state of Bavaria....

The 6,000-year-old settlement found in island of Corsica

2 May 2023

2 May 2023

Archaeologists in a French municipality recently excavated the slopes of Punta Campana (island of Corsica) in preparation for a construction...

Archaeologists unearth human spines threaded onto reed posts in Peru

5 February 2022

5 February 2022

Archaeologists have found almost 192 examples of human vertebrae threaded onto reed posts 500 years ago in the Chincha Valley...

New discoveries have been made at a 9,000-year-old Amida mound in Turkey

1 January 2022

1 January 2022

The most recent archeological investigations at the 9,000-year-old Amida Mound in southeastern Turkey’s Diyarbakir province have uncovered fresh finds that...

9 Relics of Neanderthal Found in The Guattari Cave

8 May 2021

8 May 2021

Archaeologists in Italy have discovered the remains of nine Neanderthals who were reportedly killed and mauled by hyenas in their...

DNA Analysis Reveals Identifies the Genetic Makeup of Piceni the Most Fascinating Civilizations of Pre-Roman Italy

24 November 2024

24 November 2024

A study conducted by an international team coordinated by Sapienza University of Rome and the Italian National Research Council (CNR)...

Thracian Horseman Votive Tablet Discovered in Bulgaria

28 July 2023

28 July 2023

A stone votive relief depicting a Thracian horseman was found during excavations at the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica, located...

Archaeologists, First-ever Roman-era Tombs Dug Directly into the Rock Uncovered in Al Bahnasa, Egypt

8 January 2024

8 January 2024

Spanish archaeologists made a ground-breaking discovery of rock-hewn Ptolemaic and Roman tombs, mummies, coffins, golden masks, and terracotta statues in...

Archaeologists Discovered the Largest Inscription Ever Found in Sri Lanka

10 February 2024

10 February 2024

Archaeologists discovered the largest inscription ever found in Sri Lanka. The largest inscription ever discovered in Sri Lanka was found...

Sumatran fishing crews may have found the legendary Gold Island in the Mud of the Indonesian River

24 October 2021

24 October 2021

The site of the Srivijaya kingdom, known in ancient times as the Island of Gold, may have been found by...

Three-room Urartian tomb with liquid offering area (libation) found in eastern Turkey

18 January 2023

18 January 2023

A three-room Urartian tomb with a rock-cut libation (liquid offering area) to offer gifts to the gods was unearthed in...

A center on the Anatolian Mesopotamian trade route; Tavsanli Mound

24 October 2021

24 October 2021

Excavations at Tavşanlı mound, which is known to be the first settlement in Western Anatolia during the Bronze Age, continue....