Frontinus
Sextus Julius Frontinus | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 40 AD |
| Died | 103 (aged 62–63) AD |
| Nationality | Roman |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, author, soldier & politician |
| Notable work | De aquaeductu Strategemata |
| Office | Roman consul |
| Children | 1+ |
Sextus Julius Frontinus (c. 40 – 103 AD) was a prominent
Family
Due to a lack of either a titulus honorarius or sepulcralis, there is no outline of Frontinus' life, the names of his parents, or of his wife. Some details can be inferred from chance mentions: He is thought to be of Narbonese origins, and originally of the equestrian class.[1] From the nomenclature of the name of Publius Calvisius Ruso Julius Frontinus (consul c. 84), it is likely Frontinus had a sister, who was the other's mother.[2] Frontinus had at least one daughter, the wife of Quintus Sosius Senecio (cos. 99, II 107) and mother of Sosia Polla.[3]
Career
In AD 70, Frontinus participated in the suppression of the Rhineland revolt, and later recorded that he received the surrender of 70,000
In 97, he was appointed curator aquarum (supervisor of the aqueducts) by the emperor Nerva, an office only conferred upon persons of very high standing. In this capacity, he followed another distinguished Roman statesman, Agrippa, the friend, ally and son-in-law of Augustus, who organised in 34 BC a campaign of public repairs and improvements, including renovation of the aqueduct Aqua Marcia and an extension of its pipes to cover more of the city.
The following year Frontinus held a second consulship as suffect in February, with Trajan as his colleague, and two years later he was made consul ordinarius with Trajan. Birley notes, "This exceptional honour underlines the high regard in which he [Frontinus] was held, and suggests, further, that Trajan had a debt to repay."[6] He was also a member of the College of Augurs.[6] He died in 103 or 104, a date based on Pliny the Younger writing to his friends that he was elected to the college of augurs to fill the vacancy Frontinus' death had created.[6]
Writings
Aqueducts of Rome
Frontinus's chief work is . Frontinus describes the quality of water delivered by each, mainly depending on their source, be it river, lake, or spring.
Fraud and theft
One of the first jobs he undertook when he was appointed water commissioner was to prepare maps of the system so that he could assess their condition before undertaking their maintenance. He says that many had been neglected and were not working at their full capacity. He was especially concerned by diversion of the supply by unscrupulous farmers and tradesmen, among many others. They would insert pipes into the channel of the aqueducts to tap the supply. He, therefore, made a meticulous survey of the intake and the supply of each line, and then investigated the discrepancies.
Distribution system
Distribution of the water depended in a complex way on its height entering the city, the quality of the water, and its rate of discharge. Thus, poor-quality water would be sent for irrigation, gardens, or flushing, while only the best would be reserved for drinking water. Intermediate-quality water would be used for the many baths and fountains. However, Frontinus criticized the practice of mixing supplies from different sources, and one of his first decisions was to separate the waters from each system.
Maintenance
He was very concerned by leaks in the system, especially those in the underground conduits, which were difficult to locate and mend, a problem still faced by water engineers today. The aqueducts above ground needed care to ensure that the masonry was kept in good condition, especially those running on arched superstructures. It was, he said, essential to keep trees at a distance so that their roots would not damage the structures. He reviewed the existing law governing the state aqueducts, as well as the need for enforcement of those statutes.
Military tactics
Frontinus also wrote a theoretical treatise on military science, which is lost. His extant work on military matters, the
Lucius Metellus, when fighting in Hither Spain, diverted the course of a river and directed it from a higher level against the camp of the enemy, which was located on low ground. Then, when the enemy were in a panic from the sudden flood, he had them slain by men whom he had stationed in ambush for this very purpose.
Selected editions and translations
De aquaeductu
- The standard edition of the Latin text of Frontinus' major work, with extensive commentary in English, is now R.H. Rodgers, Frontinus: De aquaeductu urbis Romae (Cambridge University Press, 2004).
- Rodgers has published his English translation online [1]
- An English translation by Charles E. Bennet, edited by Mary B. McElwain, has been published in the Loeb Classical Library.[9]
- A translation by Herschel is useful for his commentary on the engineering aspects of the De aquaeductu.
Other works
- The latest edition of the ISBN 9780674991927
- Extracts from a treatise on land surveying ascribed to Frontinus are preserved in B. Campbell (2000), The Writings of the Roman Land Surveyors: Introduction, Text, Translation and Commentary, London.
- The Stratagems and The Aqueducts of Rome , translated by Charles E. BENNETT (1858 - 1921), available on Librivox as an audiobook.
In fiction
He appears as a fictionalised character in the
See also
References
- ^ William McDermott, "Stemmata quid faciunt? The descendants of Frontinus", Ancient Society, 7 (1976), p. 255
- ^ Ronald Syme, "P. Calvisius Ruso. One Person or Two?", Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 56 (1984), pp. 190f
- ^ McDermott, "Stemmata quid faciunt?", p. 254
- ^ Strategemata 4.3.14. A.R. Birley, The Fasti of Roman Britain (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981), p. 70
- ^ a b Birley, Fasti, p. 71
- ^ a b c Birley, Fasti, p. 72
- ^ [25:1]
- ^ Paper by Rogier van der Wal (Amsterdam) to the 2010 Classical Association Conference, Cardiff
- ^ no. L174, Stratagems. De aquaeductu (1925)
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Frontinus, Sextus Julius". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 250.
Further reading
- Ashby, Thomas (1934) The Aqueducts of Rome, Oxford.
- Blackman, Deane R., Hodge, A. Trevor (2001). Frontinus' Legacy: Essays on Frontinus' de aquis urbis Romae. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-06793-0
- Dahm, Murray K (1997), The Career and Writings of Sextus Julius Frontinus. Master's Thesis, University of Auckland.
- Herschel, C (1973) The Two Books on The Water Supply of the City of Rome of Frontinus, (trans with explanatory chapters) New England Water Works Association.
- Hodge, A.T. (2001). Roman Aqueducts & Water Supply, 2nd ed. London: Duckworth.
External links
- Frontinus at LacusCurtius: full texts of De aquis and Strategemata in Latin and English; illustrated with some of the Monscassinensis manuscript from the Herschel edition.
- Works by Sextus Julius Frontinus at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Frontinus at Internet Archive
- Works by Frontinus at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Sextus Iulius Frontinus (fr)
- Models of Various Aqueducts of Ancient Rome
- Routes of Various Aqueducts of Ancient Rome
- Famous Fountains of Rome
- The Fountains of Rome (by Region)
- Spanish site dedicated to Roman technology, especially aqueducts and mines
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