Everything about Sextus Julius Frontinus totally explained
Sextus Julius Frontinus (ca.
40-
103 AD) was one of the most distinguished
Roman aristocrats of the late first century AD, but is best known to the post-Classical world as an author of technical treatises, especially one dealing with the
aqueducts of Rome.
In
70 he was
praetor, and five years later was sent into
Britain to succeed
Quintus Petillius Cerialis as
governor of that island. He subdued the
Silures and other hostile tribes of
Wales, establishing a new base at
Caerleon or
Isca Augusta for
Legio II Augusta and a network of smaller forts fifteen to twenty kilometres apart for his auxiliary units. One of these would have been the fort at
Luentinum where it controlled the gold mine of
Dolaucothi, and was worked by numerous
aqueducts. He was succeeded by
Gnaeus Julius Agricola in
78.
In
95 he was appointed Water Commissioner of the
aqueducts (
curator aquarum) at
Rome by the emperor
Nerva, an office only conferred upon persons of very high standing. He was also a member of the
College of Augurs. He produced an official report on the state of the aqueducts serving the city of Rome towards the end of the first century AD, the first official report of an investigation about engineering works ever to have been published.
In this capacity he followed another distinguished Roman statesman,
Agrippa, who organised in 34 BC a campaign of public repairs and improvements, including renovation of the aqueduct
Aqua Marcia and an extension of its pipes to cover more of the city. Through his actions after being elected in 33 BC as one of the
aediles (officials responsible for Rome's buildings and festivals), the streets were repaired and the sewers were cleaned and renovated. Agrippa signalized his tenure of office by enlarging and restoring the
Cloaca Maxima, the main
sewer in
Rome, constructing
thermae,
porticos, and laying out gardens.
The Aqueducts of Rome
His chief work is
De aquaeductu, in two books, is an official report to the emperor on the state of the
aqueducts of Rome. It presents a history and description of the water-supply of Rome, including the laws relating to its use and maintenance. The history of all the
aqueducts of Rome is described including details of the sizes of the channels and discharge rates, such as
Aqua Appia,
Aqua Alsietina,
Aqua Tepula,
Anio Novus,
Aqua Virgo,
Aqua Claudia and
Aqua Traiana. He also describes the quality of water delivered by each, mainly depending on their source, be it river, lake or spring.
One of the first jobs he undertook when appointed water commissioner was to prepare maps of the system so that he could assess their condition before undertaking their maintenance. He says that many had been neglected and were not working at their full capacity. He was especially concerned by diversion of the supply by unscrupulous farmers and tradesmen, amongst many others. They would insert pipes into the channel of the aqueducts to tap the supply. He therefore made a meticulous survey of the intake and the supply of each line, and then investigated the discrepancies. He was well aware of the seminal work
De Architectura by
Vitruvius which mentions
aqueduct construction and maintenance published in the previous century, classing him at one point with "the plumbers".
Distribution system
Distribution of the water depended in a complex way on its height entering the city, the quality of the water and its rate of discharge. Thus poor quality water would be sent for irrigation, gardens, or flushing, while only the best would be reserved for potable use. Intermediate quality water would be used for the many baths and fountains. However, Frontinus criticises the practice of mixing supplies from different sources, and one of his first decisions was to separate the waters from each system.
Maintenance
He was very concerned by leaks in the system, especially those in the underground conduits, which were difficult to locate and mend, a problem still faced by water engineers today. The aqueducts above ground needed care to ensure that the masonry was kept in good condition, especially those running on arched superstructures. It was, he said, essential to keep trees at a distance so that their roots wouldn't damage the structures. He reviewed the existing law governing the state aqueducts, as well as the need for enforcement of those
statutes.
Military Tactics
Frontinus also wrote a theoretical treatise on military science, which is lost. His extant work on military matters, the
Strategemata, is a collection of examples of military stratagems from Greek and Roman history, ostensibly for the use of generals. It was presumably based on his experiences as a fighting general with the army in Britain and elsewhere in the Empire.
Translations
The standard edition in Latin, with extensive commentary in English, is now R.H. Rodgers,
Frontinus: De aquaeductu urbis Romae (Cambridge, 2004). An english translation (together with one of the
Strategemata) has been published in the
Loeb Classical Library (1925). A translation by Herschel is useful for his commentary on the engineering underlying the work of Frontinus.
The latest edition of the
Stratagems is by R. I. Ireland, Teubner, 1990; english translation in Loeb Classical Library, 1925. Extracts from a treatise on land surveying ascribed to Frontinus are preserved in B. Campbell, The writings of the Roman land surveyors: introduction, text, translation and commentary (London, 2000).
Also See
Trivia
He appears as a fictionalised character in the
Marcus Didius Falco novels
Three Hands in the Fountain and
The Jupiter Myth.
Further Information
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