Sixth Julius Frontinus

Sextus Julius Frontinus (Latin: Sextus Iulius Frontinus; c. 30-103) was a senator and soldier of the Roman Empire, one of the most important aristocrats of the late 1st century, who developed his cursus honorum under the reigns of Vespasian, Titus, Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan. He is mainly famous for his works and writings, especially for a report in which he talks about the aqueducts of the city of Rome. He was consul on three occasions: the first as suffect consul in the year 73 together with Marco Arrecino Clemente, the second in the year 98 also as sufect, together with the emperor Trajan, and the third in the year 100 as ordinary consul also as a colleague. of Trajan.

Political career

The first thing known about the career of Julius Frontinus was his election to the praetorship in the year 70, as urban praetor. In 73, Vespasian appointed him consul suffectus. In the year 75, he was sent to the province of Britain to succeed Quintus Petilius Cerial in the government of the island. During his tenure, Frontinus subjugated the Catfish and other hostile tribes of Wales, establishing a new base for the Legio II Augusta at Caerleon or Isca Augusta and a system of fortifications that It consisted of fortresses located 20 km apart, including that of Luentinum, which was intended to control the gold mines of Dolaucothi. In the year 78, Frontinus was succeeded in the government of Britannia by the general Gnaeus Julius Agricola.

Shortly later, between 81 and 85, he was governor of the province Germania Inferior, participating in the operations undertaken by Domitian against the Catti. In 86 he was appointed proconsul of the Asia province.

In the year 95, Frontinus was appointed commissioner of the aqueducts of the imperial capital as curator aquarum by Emperor Nerva. He was in the position for a few months, but the difficulties experienced in mastering the position, related to the largest company in the empire - the water supply of the city of Rome - led him to continue writing the report even after leaving office, until its conclusion. In the introduction he states the purpose for which he wrote it.

The position of curator aquarum was exclusive to people of great political influence, which reveals the importance that Frontinus achieved during his career. In addition, Frontinus was part of the College of Augurs. During his position as city water commissioner, Frontino wrote a report on the state of all the city's aqueducts. This report, the first to be written on the subject, and the first preserved written in the form of professional prose, has been one of the most important sources of information on engineering works of the Classical Age.

During his position, Frontinus followed the policy of another Roman statesman, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, who in 34 BC. C. organized a public campaign for repairs and improvements to the buildings of Rome. During Agrippa's campaign, the Aqua Marcia underwent a major renovation and the city's pipes were expanded. Through these actions, Agrippa continued the line he had begun upon his appointment as aedile, the magistrate in charge of the buildings and festivals of Rome. During Agrippa's aedility, the streets were repaired and the sewers were cleaned and renovated. In later times, Agrippa would continue to improve and beautify the city by expanding the Cloaca Maxima, Rome's sewage system, and building baths, porticos, and gardens.

In 98, by Trajan's will, he was elected consul suffectus for the second time, among the successive substitutes chosen to replace the deceased Emperor Nerva, culminating his career in 100, when Trajan appointed him consul ordinarius together with him, achieving the rare honor of a third consulship without belonging to the imperial family.

The aqueducts of Rome

His most important work, Aquaeductu or From aquæductu urbis Romæ, constitutes an official report to the emperor who records the state of the aqueducts of Rome. Aquaeductu presents the history and description of the water supply to Rome, including the laws concerning its use and maintenance. In addition to describing the history of all the aqueducts of the imperial capital, Frontino's work records the sizes of all channels, the rates of approval of its construction between the population and the quality of the waters of the aqueducts as its source was a river, lake or spring. Among the aqueducts cited in the writing are the Aqua Appia, the Aqua Alsietina, the Aqua Tepula, the Anio Novus, the Aqua Virgo, the Aqua Claudia and Aqua Traiana.

The first thing Frontinus dedicated himself to when he was appointed commissioner of Rome's waters was to draw up a map of the capital's system of aqueducts, canals and sewers in order to be able to evaluate their condition before proceeding with their maintenance. After completing the map, Frontinus alleged that many of the aqueducts had been neglected and were not functioning at full capacity. Concerned mainly by the lack of scruples of farmers and merchants, who took advantage of the location of the aqueducts to insert pipes in order to appropriate part of the water supply, Frontinus devoted himself to an in-depth investigation throughout the entire area for the that the water flowed. Frontinus took as a model the work of Vitruvius, De Architectura, which talks about the construction and maintenance of aqueducts in the previous century. Coincidentally, Julius Frontinus' report was attached to the first edition of Vitruvius published in Rome in (1486).

Distribution system

The way water was distributed in Rome depended on the area through which it entered the city, its quality and the way it was managed. As a general rule, poor quality water was used to irrigate gardens, while only the best quality was intended for consumption by citizens. On the other hand, water of intermediate quality was used to supply baths and fountains. Upon assuming the position of commissioner, Frontino criticized the fearless mixing of waters from different sources. One of his first decisions was to separate the waters of each aqueduct.

Maintenance

Frontino always maintained a strong concern about the existence of leaks in the system, especially in the underground conduits, which are more difficult to locate and repair, a problem that is still a source of concern among engineers today. The aqueducts that circulated above ground were kept in good condition, especially those that were supported by large structures. According to Frontino, it was essential to keep the trees at a safe distance from the aqueducts so that they did not damage the structures with their roots. During his time in office, Frontino reformed the law that monitored the state of the aqueducts, modifying a large part of its statutes.

Strategemata

During his lifetime, Frontinus wrote a theoretical treatise on military science, which has been lost. The work that has survived, his Strategemata, is a collection of examples of military tactics used during the hegemony of the Greek and Roman worlds. This work was probably written based on his war experiences while leading the armies stationed in Britain against the native tribes of the island.

Medieval translations

He did not have the fortune of the other Roman author who dealt with the war, Vegecio, but was also widely known and read during the Middle Ages. This was done in Spanish, Catalan and medieval Aragonese.

The Catalan version, which is preserved in a single manuscript (BNE, ms. 6293) was the basis of the medieval Aragonese version (BNE, ms. 10198). Two independent translations were made into Spanish: an anonymous one in the XV century that is preserved in three manuscripts (BNE, mss. 9253, 9608 and 10204) that have just been published and a second translation by Diego Guillén de Ávila printed in Salamanca in 1516.