A team of researchers from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the University of Oxford, and the University of Innsbruck has reconstructed the intricate history of the ancient aqueduct system in Arles, located in Provence.
Their analysis focused on aqueduct carbonates -- limescale deposits -- that had built up over time in channels, basins, and lead pipes, as well as on fragments of carbonate used as construction material in the roof of the Baths of Constantine...
Although historians had previously hypothesized connections between different components of the system, the team was now able to confirm these links using physical evidence from carbonate deposits found throughout the Arles water infrastructure, offering strong proof of the aqueduct's longevity.
...a second aqueduct was constructed to bring water from the northern side of the same range.
The new flow merged with the original system at a basin that had been part of the initial aqueduct infrastructure. Once the northern aqueduct became operational, the original southern channel was repurposed to power a large 16-wheel watermill complex at nearby Barbegal -- a change previously identified by the team in an earlier study through analysis of carbonate layers...
Architectural evidence revealed that the northern aqueduct was added later in a makeshift fashion, as seen in its higher entrance point into the basin. Another key discovery came from fragments of the collapsed ceiling of the Baths of Constantine in Arles. Until now, the source of water for these baths had remained a mystery.Scientists Unravel 2,000-Year-Old Roman Aqueduct Mystery | SciTechDaily | Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz | July 5, 2025
bttt