During modernization work on a gas pipeline near Cologna Spiaggia in the Borsacchio Nature Reserve, located in the Abruzzo region of Italy, underground structures were uncovered that point to the existence of an ancient aqueduct of Roman origin. The Borsacchio Reserve, known for its biodiversity and unique landscapes, has also proven to be a site […]
Engineering
Posted inModern Era
Schienenzeppelin, the Strange Experimental German Train Powered by a Propeller That Held the Speed Record Until 1954
Although looking at the images might suggest a Japanese bullet train, this was actually an experimental German railcar named the Schienenzeppelin—“Zeppelin on Rails”—due to its resemblance to airships. Propelled by an airplane propeller mounted at the rear, it set a speed record in the year it was invented, 1929. However, the inability to add carriages […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
An Aqueduct in the Ancient Ionian City of Lebedos Reveals Advanced Pre-Roman Water Management Systems in Anatolia
A group of Turkish and Spanish scientists has revealed the results of an archaeological study in western Turkey that challenges the accepted historical dates of an aqueduct near the ancient city of Lebedos, one of the twelve Ionian cities of Anatolia. The research, recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, used uranium-thorium (U-Th) […]
Posted inModern Era
Porto Flavia, the Seaport Hanging from a Cliff
In the municipality of Iglesias, in the southwest of the island of Sardinia, and near the town of Nebida, lies one of the world’s most remarkable feats of engineering: a seaport literally hanging from a cliff. It’s called Porto Flavia and was built between 1923 and 1924 to facilitate the export of the region’s rich […]
Posted inAncient Rome
“Locationes Censoriae”, the Contracts That Enabled the Construction of Rome’s Great Public Works
A recent study published in the Hungarian Journal of Legal Studies reveals interesting details about the system of public contracts in the Roman Republic, highlighting the delicate interaction between state power and private interests in managing the public affairs of ancient Rome. The research, conducted by Anna Tarwacka of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in […]
Posted inAncient Egypt
The First Egyptian Pyramid Was Built Using a Hydraulic Energy System
A recent study conducted by Xavier Landreau and other researchers has presented an innovative theory about the construction of the first Egyptian pyramid, the Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, proposing the use of a hydraulic system as a key tool in the construction process. The article, uploaded by its authors to Research Gate, is based […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Researchers Reconstruct Development of Roman Water Mills at Barbegal, the Largest Mechanical Power Concentration of Antiquity
Archaeologists often grapple with the challenge of piecing together the history of ancient structures from mere ruins. This was the case for the remnants of the Roman water mills in Barbegal, located in southern France and dating back to the 2nd century AD. This remarkable industrial complex featured 16 water wheels arranged in parallel rows—eight […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Grotta di Cocceio, the First Great Road Tunnel in the World, Built by the Romans in 36 BC
Between the years 37 and 36 BCE, Marco Vipsanius Agrippa, personal friend and right-hand man of Emperor Augustus, established the foundation of the most important Roman fleet (the classis Misenensis) at Portus Iulius, built for this purpose between Baiae and Puteoli (modern-day Pozzuoli in the Gulf of Naples) by the engineer Lucius Cocceius Auctus. Authors […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Aqua Augusta, the Great Work of Roman Hydraulic Engineering that Supplied more than 10 Cities, Including Pompeii and Herculaneum
Between the years 33 and 12 BC, one of the largest and most complex Roman aqueducts was constructed, known as the Aqua Augusta. Later called the Serino Aqueduct (because it starts in the town of that name), it was actually a genuine network that supplied water to cities in the Bay of Naples and several […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Geography
Marmore, the Highest Artificial Waterfall in the World, Created by the Romans in 271 BC
At the end of the long Valnerina Valley, near the town of Marmore in the Italian region of Umbria, there’s a 165-meter-high waterfall divided into three drops, one of the tallest in Europe. A portion of the Velino River’s flow, originating from Lake Piediluco, plunges down the falls before joining the Nera River. Over centuries, […]
