Water conduits (constructed)
Description
Henrik Boman & Monika Nilsson
From tablinium to impluvium
The conduit runs from the viridarium, with an inlet to the cistern in the ambulatory, along the south wall of tablinum, and after a slight bend, through the impluvium and into fauces to finally flow out into the street. It continues through the impluvium, where faint traces of a conduit in the floor of the impluvium are still visible. There are no remains of a cistern in the atrium area. The only cistern in V 1,14-16 is the one found in the ambulatory next to the viridarium.
No remains of the floor were found in connection with the conduit to the east of the impluvium. Around the partly moulded and with stones reinforced conduit almost clean earth was found. No traces of any foundation trench made during its construction were visible.
The cover over the conduit is missing in this area, though the conduit is preserved to what we interpret as its original height. The imprints of the cover are possible to see on the south side, with an uneven line in the mortar - while the north is constructed in reused pieces of tiles.
The conduit was filled with earth and some lapilli mixed with the earth. Closer to the impluvium the debris in the conduit consisted of almost completely clean earth, with a few eroded pottery sherds, meaning that it was cleaned out during or after excavation. Pieces of a 3 cm thick earth mortar layer were found inside the conduit.
From impluvium to fauces
The conduit continues west from the impluvium, towards the centre of fauces.
