Building rivers

Roman aqueducts are often utilised as the basis for a parallel between ancient and modern urban centres. They are seen as the initial step in what would later become the complex municipal water networks of our cities. Accordingly, they are portrayed as being similarly detached from the ‘natural’ water of their surrounding landscapes. However, in the Roman world, riverine settings were powerful religious and symbolic focal points. Using case studies from Britain, this chapter argues that the construction of aqueducts in Roman towns was directly related to engagement with these associations, rather than merely an act of resource provision. These architectural features became extensions of pre-existing waterscapes, blurring the definition between what was human-made and what was natural. They channelled meaning-laden water directly into the urban fabric and profoundly affected the definition of space. Such deep integration with riverine settings forms a stark contrast with our cities of the early twenty-first century, but a similar invested local knowledge may be required to overcome the emerging challenges of climate change. Understanding these developments in antiquity can, therefore, contribute to the discussion of the changing role of water in our future cities and towns.