List of Roman cisterns

The Basilica Cistern in Constantinople provided water for the Imperial Palace.

The list of Roman cisterns offers an overview over Ancient Roman cisterns. Freshwater reservoirs were commonly set up at the termini of aqueducts and their branch lines, supplying urban households, agricultural estates, imperial palaces, thermae or naval bases of the Roman navy.[1]

Cisterns

Cistern Location Country Water supply Width
(m) 		Length
(m) 		Clear height
(m) 		Water depth
(m) 		Capacity
(m³) 		Volume
(m³)
Basilica Cistern Basilica Cistern or Yerebatan Saray Constantinople Turkey Rainwater harvesting 65 138 9 85,000 [2]
Bordj el-Djedid Zaghouan Tunisia Aqueduct of Carthage 39 154.6 (oblong) 25,000 to 30,000 [2]
Cistern of Philoxenos Cistern of Philoxenos or Binbirdirek Cistern Constantinople Turkey Rainwater harvesting 66 65 14 to 15 32,500 [2]
Theodosius Cistern Theodosius Cistern Constantinople Turkey Rainwater harvesting
Great Cistern of Masada Cistern System at Masada

(Northern Cisterns)

Judaean Desert Israel Rainwater harvesting 40,000[3] 40,000[3]
Piscina Mirabilis Piscina Mirabilis Bacoli near Misenum Italy Serino Aqueduct 25 [4]

(27 [2])

66 [4]

(72 [2])

10.3 [4]

(±10 [2])

7.5 [4]

(? [2])

10,700 [4]

(12,600 [2])

14,300 [4]

(? [2])

Cisterne romane Fermo Roman cisterns Fermo Italy Rainwater harvesting 30 70 6 0,70 3,000 10,000 [4]
Grotta Dragonara Bacoli near Misenum Italy Rainwater harvesting 70 [4]

(6 [5])

72 [4]

(60 [5])

9.5 [4]

(? [5])

4.5 [4]

(? [5])

7,700 [4]

(? [5])

11,900 [4]

(? [5])

Il Cisternone Albano Italy 10,132 [6]
Cisternone Romano Formia Italy 25 65 6.5 8,000 [2]
Aïn Mizeb Thugga Tunisia Aqueduct 9,000
Aïn El Hammam Thugga Tunisia Aqueduct 6,000
Cripta Romana Cumae Italy Serino Aqueduct 31 38 8.0 3.0 2,100 5,300 [4]
Piscina Cardito,
Southern Reservoir 		Puteoli Italy Campanian Aqueduct[7] 16 55 6.0 4.5[B 1] 4,000[B 1] 5,300 [4]
Piscina Lusciano Puteoli Italy Serino Aqueduct 25 27 6.5 4.0[B 1] 2,700[B 1] 4,400 [4]
Tunnel Cistern[A 1] Baiae Italy Rainwater harvesting 3.5 300 3.0 2.0 2,100 2,800 [4][B 1]
Cento Camerelle,
Upper Reservoir 		Misenum Italy Rainwater harvesting 18 23 7.8 5.5 2,000 2,450 [4]
Cento Camerelle Puteoli Italy Campanian Aqueduct? 7 70 5.2 2.0 850 2,000 [4]
Cento Camerelle,
Lower Reservoir[A 1] 		Misenum Italy Rainwater harvesting 2 160 4.0 3.0 960 1,100 [4][B 1]
Piscina Cardito,
Northern Reservoir 		Puteoli Italy Campanian Aqueduct[7] 8 34 ? 1.3[B 1] 350[B 1] ? [4]
Domitian's Villa [6] Albano Italy 11 123
Villa Jovis Capri Italy

Notes

  1. ^ a b Estimated values
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Excavated parts

See also

References

  1. ^ Döring 2002, pp. 310–319
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j De Feo, Giovanni & De Gisi, Sabino & Malvano, Carmela & De Biase, O. (2010). The Greatest Water Reservoirs in the Ancient Roman World and the “Piscina Mirabilis” in Misenum. Water Science & Technology: Water Supply. vol. 10, issue 3, pp 350–358. Publication by IWA Publishing, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Masada National Park". Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u All data from: Döring 2002, pp. 310–319 (esp. 313)
  5. ^ a b c d e f Cucco, Mauro (10 January 2022). "Grotta della Dragonara". bacoli.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  6. ^ a b Adam 2004, pp. 250–51
  7. ^ a b Ferrari, Graziano. "The campanian aqueduct stairway rediscovered". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Sources

  • Adam, Jean-Pierre (2004), Roman Building. Materials and Techniques, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-20866-6
  • Döring, Mathias (2002), "Wasser für den 'Sinus Baianus': Römische Ingenieur- und Wasserbauten der Phlegraeischen Felder", Antike Welt, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 305–319

Further reading

Media related to Roman cisterns at Wikimedia Commons