The present volume is the fifth publication of a Frontinus-conference

edited by Gilbert Wiplinger as a BABESCH supplement volume on historical

water science. At the place of activity of Sextus Iulius Frontinus as

curator aquarum and the capital of the Roman Empire it was

probably one of the most important and challenging events of this

congress series.

For the first time a new path was taken, as the organizer and publisher

wanted to approach the topic water from the artistic side. This was

realized in the opening lecture with the presentation of a novel in

which Frontinus plays the main character and a photo exhibition at the

Austrian Historical Institute about the integration of the Aqua Claudia

and the Aqua Anio Novus in the new building of the waterworks of Limburg

(Holland).

In eight sections 33 contributions are published in this volume. The

first section deals with the different approaches to the topic of water.

The second section is dedicated to the award of the Frontinus Medal to

Hubertus Manderscheid, who was honoured during the conference for his

fundamental research on the history of ancient water supply over many

decades.

The third section is dedicated to the aqueducts of Rome. After a general

introduction, Colle Papese in Tivoli, the Aqua Alsietina and the

distribution of the Aqua Claudia and Anio Novus within the city were

discussed. The next section was devoted to aqueducts and water supply

outside of Rome, presenting Pompeii, Tauromenion (Italy), Spalato

(Croatia), Parion, the Sirince Aqueduct of Ephesus, Syedra (Turkey),

Gerasa (Jordan), Sepphoris (Israel) and the pre-desert areas along the

African Limes.

The topic of the fifth section are toilets and baths: the toilets of

Rome, the latrines of the baths of Caracalla, public baths in Late

Antique Rome and the Roman baths of Parion (Turkey). Fountains was the

topic of the sixth section with supply devices and water effects in

Roman Imperial nymphaea, a fountain of a triclinium near

the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, fountains in the Terrace Houses of

Ephesus and the multi-sensory effects of water in Roman and Late Antique

elite houses.

The seventh section deals with hydraulic engineering: Frontinus’

quinaria, the Nimes aqueduct and castellum and planning

and building an aqueduct without the use of surveying instruments. In

the last section various topics were summarized with the feeling of

water in Trajanian times, downdrains in Ostia and water machines in

Medieval Arabic texts.

The conference programme was impressively complemented by several

full-day and half-day excursions. It offered the opportunity to visit

monuments that are otherwise not accessible to the public. Once again it

became clear that neither a lecture, nor a publication or pictures can

replace the encounter with real archaeological findings. The

presentation of new research results on ancient hydraulic engineering

and the enhancement of knowledge by visiting comparative examples on

site is the declared aim of this conference series.