Historical study of the Mola antica dell’Acqua Claudia
The main focus of the essay is the study results about the
Mola antica dell’Acqua Claudia, a ruined
hydraulic energy mill, sited in Anguillara Sabazia (Rome). The metric survey of the plan and elevations,
the direct observation of masonry stratigraphy, in addition to the archival research, have allowed to
define the main building and use phases of the mill, the construction techniques and the materials
employed, often reuse. Likewise the study of water mills and the investigations on the ruin have allow
to identified the operation of the milling system and the water supplying that stocked the motion to
the grinding gears.
By the archaeological dig (2008) are unearthed the internal flooring, made up of millstones fragments,
other simple structures used for the management of the grinding grains and the
carcerario, a subterranean
room where the horizontal mill wheel was placed. The study results highlight the characteristics of an
example, albeit punctual, of historical rural architecture.
