Cunicoli di Claudio | |
 Entrances to the "major" tunnel | |
  Shown within Italy | |
| Location | Avezzano, Capistrello, Province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy |
|---|---|
| Region | Marsica |
| Coordinates | 41°59′18.7″N 13°26′0.2″E / 41.988528°N 13.433389°E |
| History | |
| Cultures | Ancient Rome |
| Site notes | |
| Management | Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell'Abruzzo |
| Website | cultura.regione.abruzzo.it (in Italian) |
The Tunnels of Claudius (Italian: Cunicoli di Claudio) consist principally of a 6 km-long tunnel (or emissary) together with several monumental service tunnels which Roman Emperor Claudius had built by 52 AD[1] to partially drain the Fucine Lake in Abruzzo, protecting riparian villages from floods and creating agricultural land. It was a massive engineering project involving 30,000 workmen and slaves who completed it in just 11 years, and considered among the grandest in antiquity.[2] It was the longest tunnel ever built until the inauguration of the Fréjus Rail Tunnel in 1871.[3]
The lake water flowed under Mount Salviano and emptied into the Liri River beneath the present town of Capistrello.
Without regular maintenance the emissary often became clogged, and the lake returned to its original size with regular flooding.[4] It was only in 1854 when Alessandro Torlonia renovated the tunnels mostly following the Roman ones[5] that knowledge of the Roman tunnel was increased whilst also causing the destruction of its superficial features. Original Roman features can be seen in opus reticulatum in the entrance and exit areas.
In 1902 the "Tunnels of Claudius" (including the many service tunnels) were included among Italian national monuments;[6] the tunnel area represents a site of archaeological and speleological interest, provided with a park inaugurated in 1977 with the purpose of protecting and exploiting the whole system.[7][8]
- ^ Campanelli 2001, p. 9
- ^ Suetonius, The Life of Claudius, 20
- ^ Maidl, Bernhard (2018). Faszination Tunnelbau : Geschichte und Geschichten. Berlin: Ernst und Sohn. ISBN 978-3-433-03113-1.
- ^ Reitz-Joosse, Bettina, 'Debating the Draining of the Fucine Lake', Building in Words: Representations of the Process of Construction in Latin Literature (New York, 2022), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197610688.003.0003
- ^ "Storia del consorzio" (in Italian). Consorzio di bonifica ovest bacino Liri - Garigliano. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ "Elenco degli edifizi monumentali in Italia". archive.org (in Italian). Ministero della pubblica istruzione. 1902. p. 382. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ Abruzzo Molise. Guida d'Italia (in Italian). Touring Club Italiano. 1997. ISBN 88-365-0017-X.
- ^ Burri 2002.