This is a list of Roman dams and reservoirs. The study of Roman dam-building has received little scholarly attention in comparison to their other civil engineering activities,; even though their contributions in this field have been ranked alongside their expertise in constructing the well-known Roman aqueducts, bridges, and roads.

Roman dam construction began in earnest in the early imperial period. For the most part, it concentrated on the semi-arid fringe of the empire, namely the provinces of North Africa, the Near East, and Hispania.; ; The relative abundance of Spanish dams below is due partly to more intensive field work there; for Italy only the Subiaco Dams, created by emperor Nero (54–68 AD) for recreational purposes, are attested.; These dams are noteworthy, though, for their extraordinary height, which remained unsurpassed anywhere in the world until the Late Middle Ages.

The most frequent dam types were earth- or rock-filled embankment dams and masonry gravity dams. These served a wide array of purposes, such as irrigation, flood control, river diversion, soil-retention, or a combination of these functions. In this, Roman engineering did not differ fundamentally from the practices of older hydraulic societies.

"The Romans' ability to plan and organise engineering construction on a grand scale" gave their dam construction special distinction. Their engineering prowess, therefore, facilitated the construction of large and novel reservoir dams, which secured a permanent water supply for urban settlements even during the dry season, a common concept today, but little-understood and -employed in ancient times.;

The impermeability of Roman dams was increased by the introduction of waterproof hydraulic mortar and especially Roman concrete in the Roman architectural revolution. These materials also allowed for bigger structures to be built, like the Lake Homs Dam, possibly the largest water barrier to date, and the sturdy Harbaqa Dam, both of which consist of a concrete core.

On the whole, Roman dam engineering displayed a high degree of completeness and innovativeness. While hitherto dams relied solely on their heavy weight to resist the thrust of water, Roman builders were the first to realize the stabilizing effect of arches and buttresses, which they integrated into their dam designs. Previously unknown dam types introduced by the Romans include: arch-gravity dams ; arch dams buttress dams multiple-arch buttress dams

The origin of the so-called weir bridges, which were to become a popular design in Iran thereafter, can also be traced to the forced labour of Roman prisoners of war (see Band-e Kaisar).

List This list is sorted by maximum height. All measurements are in m; in case of differing values, more recent respectively more detailed studies were given preference. In earth dams, thickness refers to the masonry wall.

Height Thickness Crest length Name Country Date Type / Comments Subiaco Dams; thickness is at crest: ItalyGravity dam. Devised as pleasure lake for Nero, the dam was the highest in the Roman Empire,; ; and in the world until its destruction in 1305. Almonacid de la Cuba DamSpain1st c.Gravity dam Cornalvo Dam Spain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam, still in use Proserpina Dam Spain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam, still in use Harbaqa DamSyria2nd c.Gravity dam Alcantarilla Dam Spain2nd c. BCGravity dam Ermita de la Virgen del Pilar Dam Spain1st–2nd c.Gravity damOrükaya Turkey2nd c.Arch-gravity dam Muel Dam Spain1st c.Gravity damGlanum DamFranceArch dam, earliest known; ; ; ; Löstügun Turkey6th c.Gravity damKasserine DamTunisia2nd c.Arch-gravity dam La Pared de los Moros Spain3rd c.Gravity dam Arroyo Salado Spain?Gravity damLake of Homs dam; thickness: Syria3rd c.Gravity dam, largest artificial reservoir to date (capacity of 90 million m³), still in useMa'agan Michael (West) Israel4th c.Gravity damÇavdarhisarTurkey2nd c.Arch-gravity damRoman dam of Belas; Portugal2nd c.Gravity damQasr Khubbaz Syria?? ArévaloSpain2nd c.Gravity dam Esparragalejo DamSpain1st c.Multiple-arch buttress dam, earliest known; ; ; Las Tomas Spain4th c.Buttress damWadi Megenin Libya2nd c.Buttress dam Consuegra DamSpain3rd–4th c.Buttress dam Muro DamPortugal?? El Paredón Spain3rd c.Gravity damMelque VI Spain?Gravity dam Lower Iturranduz Dam Spain2nd c.Buttress dam La Pesquera Spain?Gravity damBöget Turkey2nd c.Gravity dam Araya Spain2nd c.Buttress dam Vega de Sta. María Spain?Buttress dam Arroyo Bejarano Spain1st c.Gravity dam Charca de Valverde Spain?Gravity dam Las Muelas Spain2nd c.Buttress dam Azud de la Rechuela Spain?Buttress dam Les Parets Antiques Spain3rd–4th c.Gravity dam Villafranca Spain2nd–3rd c.Buttress dam Roman Dam of Pego da Moura Portugal?Buttress dam Valhermoso Dam Spain2nd–3rd c.Gravity dam Castillo de BayuelaSpain2nd–3rd c.Buttress damSan Martín de la Montiña Spain1st–2nd c.Gravity damCañada del Huevo Spain2nd c.Buttress dam Pineda o Ca'La Verda Spain3rd c.Gravity dam Paerón I Spain1st–2nd c.Gravity damPalomera Baja Spain3rd c.Gravity dam El Peral Spain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam Moracantá Dam Spain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam Los Paredones Spain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam La Cuba Spain2nd–3rd c.Gravity damBand-e Kaisar; Iran3rd c.Gravity dam, earliest dam-bridge (weir combined with arch bridge) Puy Foradado Dam Spain2nd–3rd c.Arch-gravity dam Las Mezquitas Spain2nd c.Gravity dam Paerón II Spain1st–2nd c.Buttress dam El Pont d'ArmenteraSpain2nd–4th c.Gravity dam El Hinojal (Las Tiendas) Spain3rd–4th c.Buttress dam El Argamasón Spain2nd–3rd c.Gravity dam Balsa de Cañaveral Spain4th c.Gravity dam Río Frío Spain1st c.Gravity dam El Peral II Spain?Buttress dam Azud de los Moros Spain1st c.Gravity dam Valencia del VentosoSpain3rd–4th c.Gravity dam El Chaparral Spain3rd–4th c.Gravity dam Higher Iturranduz Dam Spain3rd–4th c.Buttress damLeptis Magna (Wadi Caam I) Libya2nd–3rd c.??Leptis Magna (Wadi Caam II) Libya2nd–3rd c.?? Leptis Magna (Wadi Lebda) Libya2nd–3rd c.?Buttressed dam Las Adelfas Spain2nd c.Gravity dam MonroySpain?Gravity dam Odrón y Linares Spain?Gravity damSoufeiye Syria?Gravity damDara DamTurkeyArch dam, earliest description of arch action in such types of dam by Procopius (De Aedificiis II.3); ; ; ; ;

See also Record-holding dams in antiquity Roman architecture Roman engineering

References

Sources

Further reading Vita-Finzi, Claudio (1961), "Roman Dams in Tripolitania", Antiquity 35: 14–20

External links

Traianus – Technical investigation of Roman public works (see section Saeptum Fluminum) "Barrages romains du Portugal. Types et fonctions", Mélanges de la Casa de Velázquez (2006)