Factulty of Education

We present the physical characteristics of supply, distribution, conduction, evacuation and administration of water system in the Roman city oi Carthago Nova. Al1 this being based in existent arqueologicai remains discovered up to date and the epigraphics, numismatics and documentary sources. Town planning, hydraulic engineering, water tank, sewer.

Since 1989, among the works carried out by the Spanish Archaeological Mission in Syria, was an program of surveys and study of the territory in which there was digging (Tell Qara Quzaq and Tell Jamis). This program didn't only include a wide land area but also an extensive chronological horizon. This way, taking advantage of this archaeological research in the Euphrates you could verify the existence of numerous figured caves, of funeral nature some and monkish others.
Soon after this line of initial research, this Thesis sees the light from the Instituto del Próximo Oriente Antiguo (IPOA) that offered me the possibility to study directly and in more intensity all the remains of Roman and Byzantine time that had been located in its continuous excavations and surveys in Syria, concretely in Qara Quzaq's environment, main centre of the archaeological mission from where the IPOA acted in this region.

In the first volume of the second epoch of this magazine it was included a brief work about the use of the Roman lead pipes and its appearance in the archaeological works of the city. The exposition that here begins is also the result of our researches and studies about the hydraulic engineering in Carthago Nova. Our main object is to cover gaps in the archaeological investigation from Cartagena (Spain). At this time the article is centred on the systematizing and typology of the Roman water tanks, one of the reception’s systems of drinkable water more used in the old urbs.

In front of the present river, metamorphosed by the creation of reservoirs and dams, the Euphrates of the 19th century was still used as navigable river, as it had been in the antiquity. The information that has endured about these journeys is irreplaceable since many of the fords and points of ferry of its time were, with security, used two thousand years ago, whereas it is essential the information about ruins and remains along the bank. The value of Maundrell’s expeditions, Pococke, Count of Volney, Chesney, von Oppenheim, Bell, Woolley or Dussaud is very important. These first pioneers met with the chance to appreciate the natural environment as were described by the classic authors. These descriptions are very valuable to recreate the history of the old sacred city, Hierapolis, the current Manbiy.