Prof. Jens Koehler Attends International Conference in Germany

From May 25th to May 29th, 2016, Jens Koehler from JCU’s Department of Art History attended the international conference “Water during the Time of Frontinus,” in Trier, Germany. The conference, which celebrated the 40th anniversary meeting of the Frontinus Society, was the ideal opportunity for scholars specialized in the study of water in antiquity, and gathered approximately 80 participants from 18 different countries.

Professor Koehler gave a short introduction and presented a poster dedicated to the “Acqua Alessandrina.” His research focuses on Rome’s last ancient aqueduct, which was inaugurated in AD 226. The aqueduct’s identification is still to be proved and ancient and medieval texts are the only tools to solve this mystery. The source of the aqueduct can be located in the Pantano Borghese, a region East of Rome, where impressive ruins have not yet been documented. The missing urban track of the aqueduct makes the work of scholars very difficult, and the final destination is still unknown (maybe the Thermae of Alexander Severus in the Campus Martius?).

The international conference was held in the recently-excavated Baths at the Cattle Market, an appropriate location for the matter in question. The participants also went on interesting excursions and visited Barbara-Baths in Trier, Germany (largest thermae North of the Alpes), and a qanat (water-tunnel system) at Walferdange, Luxembourg, and to an aqueduct bridge crossing the Moselle river at Jouy-aux-arches, France.