Fellows Explore Aqueducts at Vicovaro and (with AIAC) under the American Academy

It may well become an annual ritual. On April 30, the archaeologist Gianni Ponti—veteran advisor to the American Academy in Rome and a dean at Rome’s IES—once again brought a somewhat incredulous group of AAR Fellows to the Roman aqueducts near Vicovaro (45 kilometers northeast of the city). The mission at hand? To explore the interiors of the rock-cut aqueducts of the Aquae Marcia and Claudia near the ex-monastery of S. Cosimato at Vicovaro.

Saint Benedict himself founded that community in the sixth century AD on a spectacular site high on the banks of the Anio river gorge.

At the start of Vicovaro aqueduct crawl, AAAR Gianni Ponti (far left) surveys the task at hand (photograph by Casey L. Brown)

Facilitating the visit was a team from the Roma Sotterranea group—an association of archaeologists and speleologists who research and document underground archaeological remains in and around the city of Rome in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities.

An outline of aqueduct construction techniques presented by Roma Sotterranea group leaders (photograph by Casey L. Brown)

Aparna Keshaviah (photograph by Casey L. Brown)

(photograph by Casey L. Brown)

AAR current Fellow Ersela Kripa (photograph by Casey L. Brown)

Current Fellow Casey L. Brown (photograph by Casey L. Brown)

(photograph by Casey L. Brown)

Following the aqueduct crawl, lunch at Vicovaro’s Oasi Francescana. At opposite head of tables Gianni Ponti (photograph by Casey L. Brown)

But more aqueduct adventures were to follow. On Monday 2 May the AAR hosted a panel presentation of AIAC the Associazione Internazionale di Archeologia Classica/International Association for Classical Archaeology; the current President of the Association is Elizabeth (Lisa) Fentress, former AAR Mellon Professor-in-Charge (1996–99).

Monday 2 May: AIAC panel moderator Annalisa Lo Monaco initiates questions following presentation of Valeria Parisi. (photograph by Corey Brennan)

The theme for the evening was ancient cults and religious life, moderated by Annalisa Lo Monaco. But during a break in the presentations, audience members also had a chance to explore an underground section of the Aqua Traiana that—as chance would have it—runs directly beneath the AAR’s ground level Lecture Room and extends well below the AAR Cortile.

Presenting at the American Academy in Rome on the AIAC program were:

• Valeria Parisi (Sapienza—Università di Roma), “Offerte votive nei santuari della Sicilia e della Magna Grecia: dal contesto archeologico al sistema rituale”
• Eleonora Ferrazza (Sapienza—Università di Roma), “Horaisites, Charites e Ninfe nell’arte greca e romana: casi di studio sulla trasmissione di modelli figurativi”
• Alexandru Dudau (Accademia di Romania), “From Rome to Dacia: Roman Society and the Cult of Social Genii in an Eastern Province – Inscriptions and Figurative Portrayals”
• Elena Roscini (Sapienza—Università di Roma), “Considerazioni su una base iscritta da Acquasparta (Terni)”

Section of the Aqua Traiana lying directly under the AAR Lecture Room (photograph by Corey Brennan)

During the panel’s break, AIAC participants exit the Aqua Traiana through the floor of the AAR Cryptoporticus (photograph by Corey Brennan)

AIAC panelists Valeria Parisi (left) and Eleonora Ferrazza (right) with moderator Annalisa Lo Monaco (center) (photograph by Corey Brennan)