Water distributor

Thomas Staub

The first of the main water distributors of this house is situated in kitchen l, at the bottom of a low (approx. 0.6 m high), arched niche in the lowest part of the east wall between the door towards room h and the bench of the praefurnium. It has a unique, to my knowledge, form, consisting of two parallelly-laid lead boxes (northern one: diam. 0.145 m, length 0.25 m, southern one diam. 0.18 m, length 0.27 m) connected with each other by means of a small bronze pipe with a tap. Each of the boxes has an individual feeding pipe, due to the splitting of the pipe observed in room b in the Casa di Tofelanus Valens. When discovered the distributor was covered by lapilli with no visible remains of a cover.
In total five different lead pipes, each equipped with a bronze tap, distributed the water from here, two from the northern box and three from the southern one. The first pipe from the northern box runs through the east wall of the kitchen towards an unknown destination. It could possibly have served the water outlet in room h, even if the diameter (0.037 m) seems quite large compared with the other pipes.
The next pipe (diam. not measurable) leads towards the southeast and turns downwards at a ninety-degree angle, a very unusual form, since this angle heightens the risk of bursting, as already described by Vitruvius (Vitr. VIII 6.8-9. On this, see Lewis 2000, 349). At the angle a lead reinforcement was applied, to minimalize the risk. The possible destination of this pipe could have been the small pillar fountain in front of the façade between entrances V 1,3 and V 1,4. This would be plausible if it is indeed a feature privately financed by the owner of this part of the insula for the primary benefit of the operators of the highly water-consuming workshops of V 1,2 (a laundry) and V 1,4 and 5 (a dyeing shop). Thus the fountain could have been fed with water from the house and not from the nearest water tower. If so, this pipe could have led to this fountain, which would be controlled by the owner of the Casa del Torello.
The first pipe of the southern box is the thickest of them all (diam. 0.063 m) and runs straight towards the east. This must be the pipe that continues to the second main water distributor situated in the garden of the peristyle (see below). This pipe, analogous to some of the pipes in the peristyle, could have been enlarged directly after the tap and then later again minimised. That would also explain the difference in the diameter here (0.063 m) and at the distribution box in the peristyle (0.054 m).
The next pipe (diam. not measurable) emerges from the southeast corner of the distribution box and follows the same direction as the previously described pipe from the northern box. It also shows the same downward turning at a ninety degree angle with the reinforcement on the angle. The upper part of the bronze tap on this pipe is also reinforced by a covering of lead, probably to heighten its weight and thus to prevent the inner part from being forced upwards out of its casing. This feature as well would undoubtedly be due to the pressure problems expected because of the angle (The corresponding part of the tap of another, similar pipe is missing, which is why we do not know if a similar arrangement was installed there as well). This pipe probably is the same pipe that continues into room b of the adjacent house V 1,3 and then feeds the secondary distributor situated near the northwest corner of the impluvium in atrium 2 of that house.
The last pipe (diam. 0.03 - 0.035 m) to emerge from this distribution box is placed on the northern, upper part. It leads upwards over the other distribution box towards the north and is broken off after approx. 0.2 m. This pipe probably continued upwards and towards the north, first along the east wall and then the north wall to feed the warmwater boiler placed in the niche in the centre of the north wall.