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Roman dam of the Huerva

Muel, Campo de Cariñena, Zaragoza

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Roman dam of the Huerva

Historical milestone · Muel, Campo de Cariñena, Zaragoza

The Roman dam on the Huerva was built in the time of Augustus, in the early 1st century, to regulate the river's flow and secure the water supply of nearby Caesaraugusta, present-day Zaragoza. It is considered one of the best-preserved remains of Roman hydraulic engineering in Hispania. The wall, some 10.35 metres high and at least 60 long, closes off the narrowing of the riverbed next to the town centre of Muel, with a concrete core faced with limestone blocks and a base thickness of 11.5 metres. The reservoir came to cover some 80 hectares. It was abandoned around the 3rd century through natural silting, and its silted-up bed gave rise over time to the fertile Huerva floodplain; the river was not dammed again until 1731, with the Mezalocha dam.

siglo I a. C.

Photo: Zarateman (CC0)

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