Identifying the Roman Aqueduct of Brigetio (Komárom-Szőny, Komárom-Esztergom County / HU) Using Historical Sources, Maps, GIS Modelling and Non-Destructive Methods

Abstract

Identifying the Roman Aqueduct of Brigetio (Komárom-Szőny, Komárom-Esztergom County / HU) Using Historical Sources, Maps, GIS Modelling and Non-Destructive Methods
Archival data, GIS modelling, non-destructive archaeological methods and geodetic measurements are regularly used to study sections of Roman aqueducts and their hydraulic engineering. However, the starting points of these investigations are the remains and known ruins of excavated aqueducts. The present study takes the reverse approach. It describes how the Roman aqueduct of Brigetio (Komárom-Szőny, Komárom-Esztergom county / HU) was rediscovered in three steps. First, all the relevant archival and modern data regarding the location of the aqueduct, especially its starting and end points, were summarized. Then, an evenly sloping course prediction was manually created by using the elevation of the starting and end points. Finally, on-site non-destructive surveys were undertaken to find a section of the aqueduct. The results suggest that the reversed methodology developed here is useful in the detection of ancient aqueducts and is likely to be suitable for the discovery of all types of gravity-based conduits from all historical periods.