Ruins of the great Roman aqueduct that served Cherchel, port of old Mauritania. Halftone.

1 print : process print ; image 11.5 x 20.1 cm

Gaunt arches of the great Roman aqueduct that served Cherchel, port of old Mauritania. About 50 miles westward of Algiers along the Mediterranean coast is the little port of Cherchel, once capital of the province of Mauritania. In Rman days there were inner and outer harbours, but these have decayed and are only entered with difficulty. There have been several cities on the site and both Carthaginian and Byzantine have left traces. But the Romans, above all others, set their mark upon the district for all time, and one of the main monuments of their dead empire is this great aqueduct that soars over a valley on its triple system of archways. By it was brought the main water supply of the city, then called Caesarea

Wellcome Collection 36241i