List of Roman dams and reservoirs


This is a list of Roman dams and reservoirs. The study of Roman dam-building has received little scholarly attention in comparison to their other civil engineering activities, even though their contributions in this field have been ranked alongside their expertise in constructing the well-known Roman aqueducts, bridges, and roads.
Roman dam construction began in earnest in the early imperial period. For the most part, it concentrated on the semi-arid fringe of the empire, namely the provinces of North Africa, the Near East, and Hispania. The relative abundance of Spanish dams below is due partly to more intensive field work there; for Italy only the Subiaco Dams, created by emperor Nero for recreational purposes, are attested. These dams are noteworthy, though, for their extraordinary height, which remained unsurpassed anywhere in the world until the Late Middle Ages.
The most frequent dam types were earth- or rock-filled embankment dams and masonry gravity dams. These served a wide array of purposes, such as irrigation, flood control, river diversion, soil-retention, or a combination of these functions. In this, Roman engineering did not differ fundamentally from the practices of older hydraulic societies.
"The Romans' ability to plan and organise engineering construction on a grand scale" gave their dam construction special distinction. Their engineering prowess, therefore, facilitated the construction of large and novel reservoir dams, which secured a permanent water supply for urban settlements even during the dry season, a common concept today, but little-understood and -employed in ancient times.
The impermeability of Roman dams was increased by the introduction of waterproof hydraulic mortar and especially Roman concrete in the Roman architectural revolution. These materials also allowed for bigger structures to be built, like the Lake Homs Dam, possibly the largest water barrier to date, and the sturdy Harbaqa Dam, both of which consist of a concrete core.
On the whole, Roman dam engineering displayed a high degree of completeness and innovativeness. While hitherto dams relied solely on their heavy weight to resist the thrust of water, Roman builders were the first to realize the stabilizing effect of arches and buttresses, which they integrated into their dam designs. Previously unknown dam types introduced by the Romans include:
The origin of the so-called weir bridges, which were to become a popular design in Iran thereafter, can also be traced to the forced labour of Roman prisoners of war.

List

This list is sorted by maximum height. All measurements are in m; in case of differing values, more recent respectively more detailed studies were given preference. In earth dams, thickness refers to the masonry wall.
HeightThicknessCrest lengthNameCountryDateType / Comments
Subiaco DamsItalyGravity dam. Devised as pleasure lake for Nero, the dam was the highest in the Roman Empire, and in the world until its destruction in 1305.
Almonacid de la Cuba DamSpain1st c.Gravity dam
Cornalvo DamSpain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam, still in use
Proserpina DamSpain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam, still in use
Harbaqa DamSyria2nd c.Gravity dam
Alcantarilla DamSpain1st c.Gravity dam
Ermita de la Virgen del Pilar DamSpain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam
OrükayaTurkey2nd c.Arch-gravity dam
Muel DamSpain1st c.Gravity dam
Glanum DamFranceArch dam, earliest known
LöstügunTurkey6th c.Gravity dam
Kasserine DamTunisia2nd c.Arch-gravity dam
La Pared de los MorosSpain3rd c.Gravity dam
Arroyo SaladoSpain?Gravity dam
Lake of Homs damSyria3rd c.Gravity dam, largest artificial reservoir to date, still in use
Ma'agan Michael Israel4th c.Gravity dam
ÇavdarhisarTurkey2nd c.Arch-gravity dam
Roman dam of BelasPortugal2nd c.Gravity dam
Qasr KhubbazSyria??
ArévaloSpain2nd c.Gravity dam
Esparragalejo DamSpain1st c.Multiple-arch buttress dam, earliest known
Las TomasSpain4th c.Buttress dam
Wadi MegeninLibya2nd c.Buttress dam
Consuegra DamSpain3rd–4th c.Buttress dam
Muro DamPortugal??
El ParedónSpain3rd c.Gravity dam
Melque VISpain?Gravity dam
Lower Iturranduz DamSpain2nd c.Buttress dam
La PesqueraSpain?Gravity dam
BögetTurkey2nd c.Gravity dam
ArayaSpain2nd c.Buttress dam
Vega de Sta. MaríaSpain?Buttress dam
Arroyo BejaranoSpain1st c.Gravity dam
Charca de ValverdeSpain?Gravity dam
Las MuelasSpain2nd c.Buttress dam
Azud de la RechuelaSpain?Buttress dam
Les Parets AntiquesSpain3rd–4th c.Gravity dam
VillafrancaSpain2nd–3rd c.Buttress dam
Mesa de ValhermosoSpain2nd–3rd c.Gravity dam
Castillo de BayuelaSpain2nd–3rd c.Buttress dam
San Martín de la MontiñaSpain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam
Cañada del HuevoSpain2nd c.Buttress dam
Pineda o Ca'La VerdaSpain3rd c.Gravity dam
Paerón ISpain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam
Palomera BajaSpain3rd c.Gravity dam
El PeralSpain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam
MoracantáSpain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam
Los ParedonesSpain1st–2nd c.Gravity dam
La CubaSpain2nd–3rd c.Gravity dam
Band-e KaisarIran3rd c.Gravity dam, earliest dam-bridge
Puy Foradado DamSpain2nd–3rd c.Arch-gravity dam
Las MezquitasSpain2nd c.Gravity dam
Paerón IISpain1st–2nd c.Buttress dam
El Pont d'ArmenteraSpain2nd–4th c.Gravity dam
El Hinojal Spain3rd–4th c.Buttress dam
El ArgamasónSpain2nd–3rd c.Gravity dam
Balsa de CañaveralSpain4th c.Gravity dam
Río FríoSpain1st c.Gravity dam
El Peral IISpain?Buttress dam
Azud de los MorosSpain1st c.Gravity dam
Valencia del VentosoSpain3rd–4th c.Gravity dam
El ChaparralSpain3rd–4th c.Gravity dam
Higher Iturranduz DamSpain3rd–4th c.Buttress dam
Leptis Magna Libya2nd–3rd c.??
Leptis Magna Libya2nd–3rd c.??
Leptis Magna Libya2nd–3rd c.?Buttressed dam
Las AdelfasSpain2nd c.Gravity dam
MonroySpain?Gravity dam
Odrón y LinaresSpain?Gravity dam
SoufeiyeSyria?Gravity dam
Dara DamTurkeyArch dam, earliest description of arch action in such types of dam by Procopius