1,700-Year-Old Depiction Of A Hydraulic Water Wheel On A Roman Mosaic – Analyzed

Conny Waters - AncientPages.com - Researchers from the University of Warsaw have studied the oldest representation of a hydraulic water wheel on a Roman mosaic. The mosaic is about 1700 years old and comes from Apamea (in present-day Syria).

The Great Colonnade at Apamea. source

Apamea, located on the right bank of the Orontes River, was an ancient Greek and Roman city.

It was a Macedonian colony that became the capital and Metropolitan Archbishopric of late Roman province Syria Secunda. Amongst the impressive ancient remains, the site includes the Great Colonnade which ran for nearly 2 km (1.2 mi) making it among the longest in the Roman world, and the Roman Theatre, one of the largest surviving theatres of the Roman Empire with an estimated seating capacity in excess of 20,000.

The team from the Department of Archaeology analyzed the mosaic that was stolen by robbers in 2011, just after illegal excavations in the Syrian Afamia (it was the ancient city of Apamea).

Now scientists are analyzing it on the basis of several photographs taken and made public by the looters.

According to investigators, the looted mosaic has approximately. 19 square meters and it consists of three strips, on which the figural representations are visible. On the lowest strip is depicted a huge hydraulic wheel or the so-called Noria.

The Apamea mosaic in Syria was stolen during illegal excavations in 2011 and is currently being sought by Interpol. It is the oldest representation of the water wheel today (Noria), dating from the 4th century AD and is about C. 150 years older than previously thought. (author unknown, dgma)

There are very few depictions illustrating the use of this device in Greco-Roman antiquity.

"This is the oldest known performance of this kind, because it is older by approx. 150 years from the one that has hitherto been considered the most ancient, and also originating from Apamea. The newly identified dates back to the first half of the 4th century AD, perhaps from the time of Emperor Constantine the great (306-337 ad), " Dr. Marek T. Olszewski told Science in Poland.

On the lowest strip is shown a huge hydraulic wheel, or Noria. Iconographic sources illustrating the use of this device in Greco-Roman antiquity are few.

The water wheels were driven by the force of the river water flow and were used to lift, in a regular and cyclic manner, a large amount of water drawn from the river. Then the water was poured from the pumps into the aqueduct channel located up to 16 m above.

Colonnade street, Apamea. source

According to the researcher, after the 3rd / 2nd century BC, hydraulic wheels (Norie) were widely used, not only in the areas of the Roman East, especially along the Orontes and Euphrates, but also in the Roman provinces in Europe.

These are hydraulic devices used for irrigation of fields, gardens, and supply of cities, especially fountains, baths, and homes, with running water.

The name Noria is of Semitic origin (Syriac and Arabic). It was in the Middle East that this device was used by the inhabitants for the longest time in modern history, for example, in Syria until the 20th century, until the introduction of mechanical hydraulic pumps powered by an internal combustion engine.

According to the scientist, depicted on the mosaic of Apamea Noria consists of a wooden wheel installed on a very solid, stone pyramidal structure. The hydraulic wheel draws water from the river Orontes, and supplies it visible-from the outside, as well as, at the same time, from the inside, Roman baths with a pool and a slide, which is an attraction for boys absorbed in common fun.

At Apamea, archaeological excavation revealed a number of mosaics, and one example is Synagogue, Mosaic, donated by Euthalis the Scholar. source

Hydraulic wheels spread from the Middle East to the European Roman provinces such as Italy, Dalmatia, Gaul, and Iberia.

During the Roman period, the nori spread throughout the European provinces of the Roman Empire.

"It should be remembered that in the Greco-Roman antiquity there were various types of devices for irrigation of cultivated fields. Most often they worked due to the strength of people, but often animals - oxen, donkeys or dromedaries" - the archaeologist explained.

For now, the fate of the mosaic, which the robbers separated from the ground and sold through international dealers to antique collectors, is unknown.

Currently, Interpol is searching for the monument.

Written by Conny Waters - AncientPages.com Staff Writer