Ancient site · Italy · Partial ruin

Cloaca Maxima

Cloaca Massima

The Cloaca Maxima is a major ancient Roman drainage tunnel visible where it opens to the Tiber river as a large arched mouth set into the riverbank. Substantial ashlar masonry and rounded buttresses remain at the river edge and a paved ledge sits beneath the arch. Portions of the tunnel and riverfront embankment are accessible to pedestrians today.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

AD 1

Today

Partial ruin

As it stood in AD 1

What Cloaca Maxima looked like in its prime.

A single, wide semicircular stone arch set into a high riverside retaining wall opens over the Tiber; courses of pale ashlar blocks form the arch and flanking buttresses with stepped curved cutwaters. A narrow paved ledge runs under the arch at water level. Above, a roadway and metal balustrade continue along the riverbank; behind the wall a line of stone columns and trees can be seen. Surfaces show water staining, lichen and weathering but the masonry is largely continuous.

Step inside

7 places to explore in AD 1.

The record describes 7 distinct spots at Cloaca Maxima, including 1 interior: interior vaulted channel (inside arch). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more photos, more angles and more of the immersive experience.

Bridge parapet approachRiverfront platform beneath the archInterior vaulted channel (inside arch)Rounded cutwater and buttress close-upRoadway and embankment above the archOpposite riverbank frontal viewRiverside walkway along retaining wall

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