Aqua Marcia

The Aqua Marcia (Italian: Acqua Marcia) was the longest of the 11 aqueducts that supplied the city of ancient Rome. The still-functioning Acqua Felice from 1586 runs on long stretches along the route of the Aqua Marcia.

Together with the Aqua Anio Vetus, Aqua Anio Novus and Aqua Claudia, it is regarded as one of the "four great aqueducts of Rome."

The Aqua Marcia was constructed from 144–140 BC by the praetor Quintus Marcius Rex (an ancestor of Julius Caesar), for whom it is named. It followed the via Tiburtina into Rome, and entered the city in its eastern boundary at the Porta Tiburtina of the Aurelian Wall. The aqueduct was well known for its cold and pure waters.

The aqueduct was largely paid for by spoils from the recent Roman conquests of Corinth in 146 BC and the destruction of Carthage at the end of the Third Punic War, in the same year. The water provided by the Aqua Marcia was an important ingredient allowing Rome's expansion into a large imperial city.

The ancient source for the aqueduct was near the modern towns of Arsoli and Agosta, over 91 km away in the Anio valley. This general locale, in hills to the east of the city, was used for other aqueducts as well, including the Anio Vetus, Anio Novus, and Aqua Claudia. The same source is used today to supply the modern aqueduct.

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