How Water Distribution Modeled the Architecture of a City. The Emblematic Case of Ancient Pompeii

The abundance of water in the homes or at the doorstep of every inhabitant of the city is one of the most striking connotations of ancient Pompeii. Two millennia ago there was an aqueduct of about 100 km that conveyed the pure water of the source near Serino to the Piscina Mirabilis of Miseno and, through a ramification, to Pompeii as well. For this reason many Pompeian homes had running water conveyed by one of the most sophisticated urban distribution networks in the world. Pompeii’s water distribution system gave priority to public use at the fountains and drinking troughs, and left the rest, which was still quite abundant, for private dwellings. An ingenious system of arrest (valves and faucets) ensured that there was no waste.

Keywords: Pompeii,water distribution, fountains.