The Proserpina Dam is a Roman gravity dam built to supply water to the Roman colonia of Emerita Augusta –present-day Mérida, Spain–, capital of the Roman province of Lusitania. It was built in the 1st–2nd century AD as part of the infrastructure which supplied water to the city through the aqueduct of the Miracles. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the aqueduct fell into decay, but the earth dam with retaining wall is still in use.[1]

Proserpina Dam
LocationMérida (Badajoz), Spain
Coordinates38°58′10″N 6°21′59″W / 38.969544°N 6.366433°W / 38.969544; -6.366433
Opening date1st–2nd century
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsLas Pardillas (Guadiana basin)
Height12 m (39 ft)
Length427.8 m (1,404 ft)
Width (base)5.9 m (19 ft)
Official nameProserpina Dam
TypeCultural
Criteriaiii, iv
Designated1993 (17th session)
Part ofArchaeological Ensemble of Mérida
Reference no.664-014
RegionEurope and North America
Official namePantano de Proserpina
TypeNon-movable
CriteriaMonument
Designated13 December 1912
Reference no.RI-51-0000114
Proserpina Dam, plan and cross-section

Nowadays the dam and the remains of the aqueduct are part of the Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida, which is one of the largest and most extensive archaeological sites in Spain and that was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.[2]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Arenillas & Castillo 2003
  2. ^ Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida at UNESCO

References

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  • Arenillas Parra, Miguel; Castillo, Juan C. (2003), "Dams from the Roman Era in Spain. Analysis of Design Forms (with Appendix)", 1st International Congress on Construction History [20th–24th January], Madrid

Further reading

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