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We report on an important spring source among the headwaters of the Aqua Traiana, the aqueduct introduced by the emperor Trajan to Rome in 109 CE. Located at Vicarello, adjacent to the celebrated thermal bathing complex of Aquae Apollinares, the vaulted gallery and its various intake and offtake branches are preserved in a restoration of the 17th century for use in the Acqua Paola. The question of when precisely this sector of the aqueduct was begun gains special relevance when one considers that Domitian built a large villa in the immediate vicinity and seems to have exerted his personal influence over the development of the bathing complex, too. We argue that Vicarello may have been the birthplace of the Aqua Traiana and that the collection of water there initially was confined to the villa, the nearby bath complex, and within the complex, a monumental nymphaeum. As more springs in the region became available, Domitian may have laid plans for what would become the Baths of Trajan in Rome. We trace the hypothetical stages through which his vision for a small local aqueduct expanded into a grand urban project, eventually to be appropriated and largely implemented by Trajan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based upon the recent discussions concerning the construction chronology of the monumental fountain building (nymphaeum) at Side, this contribution makes some suggestions concerning the other possible meaning(s) of the verb of "κατασκευάζειν", which is not infrequently attested in building inscriptions. To this end, a total of nine case studies sourced from different regions and over a wide time-span, from the Hellenistic to the Late Antique Period, were assembled and interpreted. Two of these examples are recorded from mainland Greece, i.e. the theatre building at Delphoi and an unidentifiable building at Athens. The other documents concern the Laodike fountain at Teos mentioned in the inscription of Antiochus III, the Pataran road monument (Monumentum Patarense), the governor edicts enacted for the protection and upkeep of the Aristion aqueduct at Ephesos, the donations of Opramoas of Rhodiapolis in the aftermath of the severe earthquake in Lycia in 141 A.D. (regarding in particular the bath-houses), the inscription of hydreion of Menandros at Ephesos and lastly the Neronic/Vespasianic bath from Patara. By scrutinizing all of the above evidence, this article maintains that the initial construction phase of those buildings whose inscriptions carry the verb of "κατασκευάζειν", may not provide the exact date when the inscription was carved, contrary to what is widely believed in current scholarship. It is thereby emphasized that the verb of "κατασκευάζειν", synonymous occasionally with "ἐπισκευάζειν", is not limited in its meaning "to construct", but rather, it has a wide range of meanings, such as: to reconstruct, to repair, to renovate or even to enlarge the buildings. It is therefore proposed that the dating of the constructions, if they are made relying only upon the epigraphic evidence (i.e. upon the presence of the verb of "κατασκευάζειν"), may result in faulty interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to assess the deterioration conditions and their causes that affected the Roman Nymphaeum in Amman. The monument was built over a cave with running spring water. Thus, the damp condition started from the beginning and generated different problems such as the weakness of the foundation, raising damp and the subsequent salt crystallization, erosion and micro-organism growth. The other major problem of the monument is its current location within the modern urban environment of today's city of Amman with high concentration of air pollution, vibration, and necessary urban infrastructural changes such as the installing of a sewage system that goes under the structure and the main streets around the building. Several deterioration features can be identified in the Nymphaeum including stone weathering, rising damp, efflorescence, sub-florescence, erosion, staining, crumbling, chipping, cracking, detachment, and flaking. To determine the deterioration factors in the monument, scientific techniques of analysis and examination were used such as XRD and SEM attached with EDX and it was concluded that this monument is suffering from severe deterioration and damage. As a result this study can provide the basis for establishing a comprehensive conservation plan for saving the monument within a context of a larger urban plan to give it a better role to be defined for the future, especially for tourism purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the first architectural works of Raphael commissioned in Rome during the early 1500s for the riverfront casino of Agostino Chigi. Topics include artistic rendering in the "Triumph of Galatea" near the Loggia di Amore e Psiche that has no visual documentation after it was rebuilt when destroyed by the 1514 flooding in Tiber. Also mentioned are revival of the nymphaeum, earlier works of Raphael such as the Spozalizio della Vergine and all'antica architectural forms.

Over the last few decades, conservation work has been conducted by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (DoA) on the Roman Nymphaeum in Amman. This intervention has taken the form of direct and indirect actions. In this article it will be shown that the conservation works concentrated on reinforcing the structure and reconstructing some architectural features of the building, with little consideration of the techniques and materials used. Intervention actions were mostly poor in terms of their scientific approach, and neither proper planning nor a well-defined methodology existed. This study provides a holistic approach for the evaluation of the state of the conservation of the monument in terms of quality and quantity. Thus, the results could be a valuable source for establishing comprehensive risk mitigation for future restoration work and site management. In addition, establishing practical restoration guidelines could help in developing socio-economic benefits for the community through tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Following initial discovery in 2004, six seasons of a community excavation were undertaken on a well-preserved Roman bath-house and two earlier buildings at Truckle Hill in north-west Wiltshire. This sequence of buildings and a late Roman crop-drier are all likely to have been associated with the North Wraxall villa, excavated in the mid-nineteenth century, which lies a short distance to the south. Although very few finds were recovered, the two earlier buildings are thought to have spanned the late first /early second-late second/early third centuries A D , with their layout, decoration, association with water and secluded location suggesting that possibly both may have been temples or more precisely nymphaea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Opuscula Archaeologica is the property of Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The author's study of the dexameni of the imperial age is based on a wide-ranging analysis of all available sources, including many artistic depictions and surveys of the remains of the monumental façade, the evidence of the 19th-century excavations of the cistern carried out on the occasion of its reconstruction, and the old and new plans of the cistern. The investigations carried out here indicate a correspondence between part of the ancient structures and the modern ones. Hence, a new hypothesis can be put forward about the plan and architecture of the building, and a solution suggested for the problem of the non-alignment of the tetrastyle colonnade of the façade with the structures at the back. The building was not a mere castellum aquae; rather, it was a nymphaeum of monumental proportions with a clearly propagandistic intent. It falls within the category of chamber or artificial-grotto nymphaea, rather than the pseudo-basilical ones, as has been suggested previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looks at the results of several archaeological investigations of the city of Nymphaeum in the northern shore of the Black Sea. Hellenistic architectural complex discovered; Details on an architectural design connected to the shrine of Aphrodite and Apollo; Architectural materials used; Factors which contributed to the analysis of the age of the shrines.

Focuses on the Roman Nymphaeum of Amman. Background information on the history of the Roman Nymphaeum of Amman; Discussion on Amman's physical contextual factors essential to the understanding of the Nymphaeum and the present problematique; Indepth look at the architecture drawings of Nymphaeum of Amman.

Reports developments related to water gardening in the U.S. Approval of the Provisional Checklist of Nymphaea Epithets by the International Society for Horticultural Science; Death of water gardener Monroe Birdsey; Experimentation of phoslock clay that reduces phosphate level in water.

The Nymphaeum structure is considered one of the most important historical buildings still standing in the heart of Decapolis City Philadelphia (Modern Philadelphia Capital of Jordan, Amman). The Nymphaeum has been dated to the second century AD, during the Roman period consists of two floors: a ground floor which was built above an old water course; and the second floor consisting of three large apses decorated with two rows of niches designed to host statues. The structure remained in use into the late Byzantine and early Islamic periods. The current paper highlighted new discovered architectural features at the Nymphaeu. These new features have added a number of facts regarding the building techniques and materials as well as the site function and its uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides an overview of the articles published in the Spring 2000 issue of "Water Garden Journal." Emphasis on water gardening; Discussion on the key to success; Official registration for Nymphaea.