Page - 17 - in The Power of Urban Water - Studies in premodern urbanism

2 FromNature to Topography 17 alongthecitywall inorder toenter theFossaAusset,whichwas in turnconnected to theCanale Nord. Aquileia’s waterways show an urban area defined bywater in amuchmore immediate way than is evident today–orvisible inmost of ourplansof theancient city.Until the3rd cen- tury, thewideCanale Anfora leading from thewest towards the city areawas probably one of thecity’smainharbourareas, connectingAquileiawith thesea: geophysical andsurvey results showhereadenselybuiltareawithextensiveharbourstructures, suchasquays,piersandhuge storage buildings, but also a street running along the canal towards the city centre.15 These harbour structures reachedup to the citywall and thuswere only a short distance away from the city centrewith its forum. Milan, Altinum, and Aquileia can exemplify how controlled water and its infrastructure, such as canals passing through urban space, embankments as places of numerous activities, andbridgesconnectingseparatedareas,contributedto the local topographiesofagreatnumber of cities in the region.Water and related infrastructurewere part of the everyday life in ‘their’ local urbanor suburban spaces andadded to their experience andperceptionalike. 15 Groh 2011, 156 figs. 3–5;Groh–Schimmer 2013, 61 figs. 4. 7. Fig. 3:Altinum, the city areaand its reconstructed topography.