| Aniene | |
|---|---|
 An 1886German map of the settlements,roads, andaqueducts aroundancient Rome. The Aniene is the principal left-hand tributary of theTiber, joining it in northern Rome. | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Italy |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Filettino |
| • elevation | 1,075 m (3,527 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Tiber (Rome, ponte Salario) |
• coordinates | 41°56′30″N12°30′07″E / 41.941745°N 12.50181°E /41.941745; 12.50181 |
| Length | 99 km (62 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,414 km2 (546 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Tiber→Tyrrhenian Sea |
TheAniene (pronounced[aˈnjɛːne];Latin:Aniō), formerly known as theTeverone,[1] is a 99-kilometer (62 mi)river inLazio,Italy. It originates in theApennines atTrevi nel Lazio and flows westward pastSubiaco,Vicovaro, andTivoli to join theTiber in northernRome. It formed the principal valley east ofancient Rome and became an important water source as the city's population expanded. The falls at Tivoli were noted for their beauty.[1] Historic bridges across the river include thePonte Nomentano, Ponte Mammolo,Ponte Salario, andPonte di San Francesco, all of which were originally fortified with towers.
The river was known to the Romans asAniō; this is of unknownetymology, butFrancisco Villar Liebana has suggested a root *an- that is found in many river names, such as the Ana (Guadiana) and Anisus (Enns).[2]Plutarch derived the name from a mythicalEtruscan king Anius who drowned in the river.[3]
The confluence of the Aniene andTiber was controlled byAntemnae, aLatin settlement on a hill just to its south.Rome's foundation myths numbered them among theSabinesseized byRomulus but that his wifeHersilia convinced him to make its peopleRoman citizens after their defeat and annexation around 752 BC.[4]
Inantiquity, three principalaqueducts ofRome—theAqua Anio Vetus,Aqua Anio Novus andAqua Claudia—had their sources in the Aniene valley. Together with theAqua Marcia, they were regarded as the "four great aqueducts of Rome".[5] The Aqua Anio Vetus (Latin for "Old Anio aqueduct") was constructed around 270 BC.[1] The Aqua Anio Novus ("New Anio aqueduct") was begun underCaligula around AD 38 and completed underClaudius in 48.[1] A third aqueduct, the Aqua Marcia, was constructed byQ. Marcius Rex between 144 and 140 BC using the proceeds from the destructions ofCorinth andCarthage in 146 BC.
The emperorNero created three lakes on the river for his villa atSubiaco. Thelargest of these dams was thehighest dam in classical antiquity and remained in use until its destruction by a flood in 1305.[6][7][8][9]Trajan eventually connected the Anio Novus to one of these lakes.[10]
A series of floods during the early nineteenth century, especially the most serious one in 1826, prompted PopesLeo XII andGregory XVI, as sovereigns of thePapal States, to undertake construction works to control the flow of the water. This included canalisation of the river upstream from Tivoli, excavation of a tunnel through Monte Catillo, and a diversion of the river around Tivoli.[11]
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