Acueducto de los Milagros
Aqueduct in Mérida, Spain
38°55′28″N 6°20′48″W / 38.92444°N 6.34667°W / 38.92444; -6.34667 UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Acueducto de los Milagros (English: Aqueduct of the Miracles) is a Roman aqueduct in Mérida (Badajoz), Spain. It was built during the first century AD to supply water from the Proserpina Dam to the ancient Roman colony of Emerita Augusta. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the aqueduct fell into decay and today it is in ruins with only a relatively small section of the aqueduct bridge standing. The Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida, including the aqueduct, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
Description
Only a relatively small stretch of the aqueduct still stands, consisting of 38 arched pillars standing 25 metres (82 ft) high along a course of some 830 metres (2,720 ft). It is constructed from opus mixtum – granite ashlar blocks interspersed with red brick – utilising a double arcade arrangement. The structure originally brought water to the city from a reservoir called the Proserpina Dam, fed by a stream called Las Pardillas, around 5 km (3.1 mi) to the north-west of Mérida.[1]
It is thought to have been constructed during the 1st century AD, with a second phase of building (or renovations) around 300 AD. In later centuries, the inhabitants of Mérida dubbed it the "Aqueduct of the Miracles" for the awe that it evoked.[2]
The aqueduct was one of three built at Mérida, the other two being the 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long Aqua Augusta, fed by the Cornalvo reservoir, and San Lázaro, fed by underground channels.[3] The aqueduct is preserved as part of the Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[4]
In the immediate vicinity, a small Roman bridge called Puente de Albarregas runs parallel to the arcades.
See also
- List of aqueducts in the Roman Empire
- List of Roman aqueducts by date
- Ancient Roman technology
- Roman engineering
References
- ^ Roger Collins. Spain: An Oxford Archaeological Guide, p. 195, 199. Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-285300-7
- ^ "Study for the determination of the pathologies in the constituent materials of the Milagros Aqueduct (Mérida)", J.M. Ávila Macías, M.I. Mota López, I. Rodríguez Maribona, in Heritage, Weathering and Conservation: Proceedings of the International Heritage, Weathering and Conservation Conference (HWC-2006), 21–24 June 2006, ed. Alvarez De Buergo. Taylor & Francis, 2006. ISBN 0-415-41272-2
- ^ Leonard A. Curchin. Roman Spain: Conquest and Assimilation, p. 106. Routledge, 1991. ISBN 0-415-02365-3
- ^ "Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida". UNESCO. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
External links
Media related to Acueducto de los Milagros at Wikimedia Commons
- v
- t
- e
- 664-001: Los Milagros Aqueduct
- 664-002: San Lázaro Aqueduct
- 664-003: Alcantarilla Bridge
- 664-004: Guadiana River Dam, Roman Bridge over Guadiana River, Alcazaba
- 664-005: Roman Theatre, Amphitheatre, the Amphitheatre House
- 664-006: Trajan's Arch, Concordia Temple
- 664-007: Sta. Catalina Basilica
- 664-008: Casa Herrera Basilica
- 664-009: Sta. Eulalia Basilica: Interpretation Centre, Temple of Mars
- 664-010: The Roman Circus
- 664-011: The Mithraeum House - The Columbaria Funerary Area
- 664-012: Church of Sta. Clara and Visigothic Art Collection
- 664-013: Cornalvo Dam
- 664-014: Proserpina Dam
- 664-015: Local Forum
- 664-016: Roman Wall and Albarrana Islamic Tower
- 664-017: National Museum of Roman Art
- 664-018: Sta. Eulalia Obelisk
- 664-019: Roman Bridge over Albarregas River
- 664-020: Temple of Diana
- 664-021: Thermal Baths at Reyes Huertas St.
- 664-022: Thermal Baths at Alange
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Croatia |  | |
| France | ||
| Germany | ||
| Italy |
| |
| Jordan | ||
| Luxembourg | ||
| Spain | ||
| Tunisia | ||
| Turkey | ||
| United Kingdom | ||
Authority control databases  | |
|---|---|
| International |
|
| National |
|
| Geographic |
|
