ARCINIEGA GARCÍA, Luis, Arcos y conductos. Estudios sobre ingeniería hidráulica en la Comunitat Valenciana, València, Conselleria d'Habitatge, Obres Públiques i Vertebració del Territori, 2019.

ISBN: 978-84-482-6351-5

Water both transports and is transported, as eloquently expressed by the name of the underground channels used to supply water to some Spanish urban centres: viajes de agua, or ‘water journeys’. This fact is also illustrated through the etymology of the word aqueduct, made up of aqua (‘water’) and ductus (‘conveyance’, which comes from the verb ducere, meaning ‘to lead’). As we see in the last chapter of this book, this word is rather complex in terms of its first appearance, evolution and usage. Indeed, the word aqueduct itself represents a synecdoche that refers to both the conveyance of water and the specific object that conveys it up high, via arches and bridges.

A host of experts have contributed to this book. Javier Martí, director of the Museum of the History of Valencia, examines the supply of water to the city of Valencia from Roman to medieval times, focusing on the hypotheses formed based on archaeological remains. José Luis Jiménez, professor of Archaeology at the University of Valencia, and Juan José Ruiz López, director of Chelva Museum, carry out an in-depth analysis of literary sources and the physical reality of the Peña Cortada Roman aqueduct. Víctor M. Algarra Pardo, archaeologist specialising in the archaeology of architecture and historical landscapes, explores the Calicantos aqueduct in the municipality of Gestalgar, the unfinished nature of which makes it a unique laboratory for technical and constructional analysis. His study is situated within the cultural landscape generated by the River Turia. Tamara Peñalver Carrascosa’s excellent summary looks at water supply systems in domestic urban spaces in Roman Valencia. Pablo Camarasa Balaguer, architect and doctor of History of Art, deals with the importance of medieval aqueducts through the fascinating case of Xàtiva. Finally, Luis Arciniega García, director of the Cátedra Demetrio Ribes research centre, delves into the reception of these elements through a study of the written sources and images they have generated.

Chapters:

• MARTÍ OLTRA, Javier, “El ciclo del agua en València desde la Antigüedad a la época islámica”.
• PEÑALVER CARRASCOSA, Tamara, “Sistemas de abastecimiento hidráulico en los espacios domésticos urbano-romanos del territorio valenciano”.
• JIMÉNEZ SALVADOR, José Luis; RUIZ LÓPEZ, Juan José, “El acueducto de Peña Cortada (la Serranía, Valencia): una muestra singular de la ingeniería romana en tierras valencianas”.
• ALGARRA PARDO, Víctor M., “El acueducto de los Calicantos. Una capa del paisaje cultural del agua del Turia en el territorio de Gestalgar”.
• CAMARASA BALAGUER, Pablo, “Las arquitecturas del agua en Xàtiva y su huerta. Casos de arquerías”.
• ARCINIEGA GARCÍA, Luis, “Imagen y memoria escrita de los acueductos valencianos”. [pdf]