Cornalvo Dam

The Cornalvo 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. The earth dam Roman concrete and stone cladding on the water face is still in use.

Cornalvo Dam
Roman Cornalvo dam in Spain
Location	Mérida (Badajoz), Spain
Coordinates	38°59′18″N 6°11′28″W
Opening date	1st–2nd century
Dam and spillways
Impounds	Albarregas (Guadiana basin)
Height	28 m (92 ft)
Length	194 m (636 ft)
Width (base)	26 m (85 ft)
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Cornalvo Dam
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, iv
Designated	1993 (17th session)
Part of	Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida
Reference no.	664-013
Region	Europe and North America
Spanish Cultural Heritage
Official name	Pantano romano de Cornalvo
Type	Non-movable
Criteria	Monument
Designated	13 December 1912
Reference no.	RI-51-0000115

The dam is 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.

See also

• List of Roman dams and reservoirs
• Roman architecture
• Roman engineering

References

• Arenillas, 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

• Aranda Gutiérrez, Fernando (2006), Las presas de abastecimiento en el marco de la ingeniería hidráulica romana. Los casos de Proserpina y Cornalbo (PDF)
• Hodge, A. Trevor (1992), Roman Aqueducts & Water Supply, London: Duckworth, pp. 89f, ISBN 0-7156-2194-7
• Schnitter, Niklaus (1978), "Römische Talsperren", Antike Welt, 8 (2): 25–32 (29)
• Smith, Norman (1971), A History of Dams, London: Peter Davies, pp. 43f, ISBN 0-432-15090-0

External links

• Media related to Cornalvo Dam at Wikimedia Commons