Le malte idrauliche dell’Acquedotto Romano di Termini Imerese

Abstract

Aim of this paper is the characterization of ancient hydraulic mortars from the roman water supply system of Thermae (I-II cent. A.D.), known as “Aqua Cornelia” and "Figurella" aqueducts, more than 10 kilometers long. Because of malfunctioning of the "Barratina" siphon, major changes in the original adduction system were realized in several steps. Mortar samples were taken from both channels lining materials and structural elements, in order to contribute to answer some questions about the construction phases of the aqueduct. The materials characterization was performed by means of XRD analysis, optical microscopy, microRaman spectroscopy and simultaneous thermal analysis. The latter is a useful method to determine the degree of hydraulicity of a mortar, strictly related to its impermeability. The properties of such materials were compared to lining mortars coming from ancient water supply systems of Pantelleria. Such comparison evidence the deep knowledge of materials science, even if based on empirical observation, already available more than 2000 years ago, allowing to build such durable and effective water systems. Furthermore, this comparative study of mortars could be the first step to create a data base on lining materials used in hydraulic works of archaeological sites in the mediterranean area.