Trois vestiges d'aqueducs ruraux gallo-romains dans la partie occidentale de la cité de Carcassonne (Aude)

Remains of three underground channels have been detected during survey, agricultural labour and public works in rural context. Despite small measurements, these aqueducts were carefully built. The best preserved, at Sur Fontorbe at Lavalette, near Carcassonne, shows the care given to these structures built the same way as vast conduits. Two of them run towards a villa, the third one could also carry water to an estate. Harnessings are not precisely located but it seems that water came from streams supplied by an abundant spring or a drainage basin. The study of the sites and their environment shows that water was not lacking. Streams and phreatic water were sufficient resources and local weather had a good pluviometry level. The flow of these channels has been calculated and their function is being discussed. For the landowner it was a valuable investment, justified by many different uses, in particular those which needed an abundant running water : irrigation for food crop and orchads during dry season, watering, pleasure gardens. From these three cases, similar arrangements are presumed on a series of villae in the area. Translation : Isabelle FAUDUET

Carcassonne · garden irrigation · Irrigation · Roman aqueducts · Roman Gaul · rural water supply · villas · water sources · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeological and Historical Studies · Water management and technologies

• L’approvisionnement en eau de la ville de Meaux antique

  Open Access•David Couturier, Olivier Bauchet et al.•Revue archéologique du centre de…•2013

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