Roman and Medieval Aqueducts of Patras: A Historic Water-Supply System
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.3
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Greece
- Primary era
- Classical
- Eras represented
- Classical, Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Ottoman, Roman
- Site type
- Infrastructure
- Remains
- Aqueduct
On this page9 sections
History
The Roman and Medieval Aqueducts of Patras are an archaeological site in Greece, in the Aroe valley of western Patras. The Roman aqueduct was built by the Romans probably during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, who ruled from AD 117 to 138, at the beginning of the second century AD. It addressed a water shortage in the city, which had previously relied on wells, and became a major public work and essential part of Patras’ water supply.
The Roman water system
The Roman system carried water for approximately 7.5 kilometres from springs at Romanos on Mount Panachaiko to the city’s acropolis, the elevated fortified or central area of an ancient city. The route ended at the acropolis, now occupied by Patras Castle, where the water was channelled into the city. Underground channels and pipes carried much of the supply, while bridges and arches allowed the system to cross valleys and gorges.
A Christian tradition gives the aqueduct a different origin. It says that Constantius, a fourth-century Roman emperor, sent his emissary Artemius to Patras to take the relics of Saint Andrew, one of Christianity’s principal apostles and the patron saint traditionally associated with the city, to Constantinople. The people of Patras supposedly agreed to surrender the relic only after Artemius promised to bring drinking water from Mount Panachaiko. The tradition attributes the aqueduct’s construction to this undertaking and places the transfer of the relic in AD 353 or 357. An inscription at the Romanos springs also indicates that the Nymphs were worshipped there.
Later use and discovery of the medieval aqueduct
The Roman aqueduct remained in service for centuries and received repeated repairs. The last recorded repair took place in 1838 under the mayor I. Boukaouris. Its use ended in 1874, when pipes began supplying water to the city. Foreign travellers in the seventeenth century nevertheless described the aqueduct as being in good condition and still carrying water.
During construction of Patras’ short bypass road, the planned route crossed the Roman aqueduct. This conflict delayed completion of the road by more than a decade. Road-drilling and excavation in 2006 revealed a second aqueduct 157 metres from the Roman remains. Associated with the early post-Byzantine or Ottoman period, the era of Ottoman rule over much of Greece, it is generally dated to the fifteenth or sixteenth century.
In 2009, approximately 23 metres of the medieval aqueduct were cut into sections and moved southward, close to the Roman aqueduct, so that the bypass road could proceed. The two systems were later brought together in a unified archaeological park, which opened to the public in September 2018. Other portions remain within private properties, including sections of the Roman aqueduct that cross house yards and a road in the Asyrmatos neighbourhood.
Remains
The archaeological park brings together surviving sections of two water-conveyance systems beside the Aroi bridge. The Roman aqueduct is represented by a long vaulted waterway, with underground and above-ground stretches, while the later structure consists of an open channel carried over four semicircular arches. Roman remains also survive near the short bypass road, in the Aroi and Asyrmatos neighbourhoods, and in Samakia.
Roman aqueduct structures
Aroi water bridge
The largest of the two Roman water bridges in the Aroe valley forms part of the aqueduct at the archaeological site. Its bridge has two rows of arches built from dressed stone and faced with brick. A water channel ran along the top, carrying the supply across the uneven ground toward the acropolis. Visible Roman sections survive near the bypass road and in Aroi and Asyrmatos, where portions pass through house yards and along a neighbourhood road. Further bridge remains are located in Samakia.
Romanos reservoir
At the Romanos springs, the waterworks included a large reservoir formed by an artificial dam at the beginning of the valley, approximately 10 metres from the springs. Part of the original dam wall is incorporated into the base of the modern reservoir. Several large sections of strong masonry remain about 20 metres away in the riverbed, preserving elements of the Roman waterworks at their source.
Medieval aqueduct
Open channel and arches
The medieval aqueduct stood beside the Aroi bridge. The surviving structure was 40 metres long, 4.15 metres high, and 1.60 metres wide. Four semicircular arches supported its open water channel, while sloping buttresses reinforced both sides. After the 2009 relocation, some sections remained in their original position, while the moved portion was displayed with the Roman ruins in the archaeological park.
The Roman and medieval structures are now presented together within the archaeological park, although additional sections of both aqueducts remain on privately owned land. Their surviving bridges, channels, masonry, and reservoir elements show how Patras’ water supply combined underground routes with raised structures across the valley.
