- The Cistern, from the Latin ‘Cisterna’ meaning box, was a receptacle for holding water.
- A Cistern would be located at the terminus of a Roman Aqueduct.
Description
- The Aqueducts of Ancient Rome and their branches terminated in a Cistern, which acted as a reservoir, from which the water was then distributed throughout the neighbourhood.
- Large Cisterns were designed with air vents that were regularly opened to circulate fresh air. They were built on a slight slope, so that the water flowed freely down to the exit, and did not lie still and stagnate.
Best preserved Cisterns from the Roman Empire
- Basilica Cistern, Constantinople.
- Cistern of Philoxenos, Constantinople.
- Theodosius Cistern, Constantinople.
- Nimes Castellum Divisorum, France.
- Cisterns of Fermo, Italy.
- 30 underground chambers located 1,000 ft (305m) above sea level. The water was then piped into the city. Capacity: 3,000 cubic metres.
- Piscina Mirabilis, (20 BCE-10 CE) Misenum, Italy.
- Capacity: 12,600 cubic metres, built to supply the Roman Fleet.
Castellum Divisorium, Nimes