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Hidden gem2nd – 3rd c. ADFree

Roman Aqueduct of Moria

Moria Aqueduct, Roman Aqueduct of Mytilene, Ρωμαϊκό Υδραγωγείο Μόριας

aqueduct · Lesbos, Greece

What it is
The Roman aqueduct of Moria is the best-preserved stretch of the aqueduct that brought water about 26 km from the mountains of Lesbos to the city of Mytilene.
What you’ll see
The arcade stands about 600 m south and south-west of the village of Moria and about 7 km north-west of Mytilene. Its piers and arches are built of local grey marble (el.wikipedia), and the photographs show the arches in two tiers.
Worth the trip?
Yes, if you are on Lesbos: it is 7 km from Mytilene, there is nothing to pay as far as OpenStreetMap records, and the arches standing in the olive groves are the sight. It is a single monument, not a site with a museum or a guardhouse.
Getting there & cost
The arcade lies just outside Moria, about 7 km north-west of Mytilene (el.wikipedia). No car park is mapped; a gravel lane passes about 50 m away, and footpaths lead to the arches (OpenStreetMap).FreeHours, tickets and parking
A tall arcade of grey stone piers carrying round arches in two tiers, partly broken off at the top, rising from olive groves on a hillside under a clear sky.
The surviving arcade near Moria, about 170 m long on 17 piers. · Photo: PanosMtln · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The stone arcade of the aqueduct seen through olive trees, with metal scaffolding propping one of its arches.
The arcade in 2007, during the restoration that began in 1995. · Photo: Jonathan Lundqvist from Stockholm, Sweden · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The Roman aqueduct of Moria is the best-preserved stretch of the aqueduct that brought water about 26 km from the mountains of Lesbos to the city of Mytilene. Near the village of Moria a stone arcade about 170 m long still stands on 17 piers among the olive groves (el.wikipedia; Pleiades).

What is there today

The arcade stands about 600 m south and south-west of the village of Moria and about 7 km north-west of Mytilene. Its piers and arches are built of local grey marble (el.wikipedia), and the photographs show the arches in two tiers. Other parts of the aqueduct survive near the village of Lambou Myloi, about 15 km west of Mytilene, and in a few other places. The monument has been under restoration since 1995 (el.wikipedia).

Is it worth the trip?

Yes, if you are on Lesbos: it is 7 km from Mytilene, there is nothing to pay as far as OpenStreetMap records, and the arches standing in the olive groves are the sight. It is a single monument, not a site with a museum or a guardhouse.

Getting there

The arcade lies just outside Moria, about 7 km north-west of Mytilene (el.wikipedia). No car park is mapped; a gravel lane passes about 50 m away, and footpaths lead to the arches (OpenStreetMap). OpenStreetMap maps it as open to the public with no fee; no operator publishes opening hours.

Visiting details

Tickets
Free
Parking
No car park is mapped; a gravel lane passes about 50 m away and footpaths lead to the arches (OpenStreetMap).

History

The aqueduct was built in the Roman period, between 200 and 300. Its source was a lake on the north side of Mount Olympus near today’s Agiasos, since drained, and it took in water from other springs along the way, running by tunnels and arched bridges past Paspalas, Lambou Myloi, Larsos and Moria to the ancient city of Mytilene, on the site of the modern town. It is estimated to have supplied Mytilene with about 127,000 m³ of water a day, used among other things for the city’s fountains and baths (el.wikipedia).

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from the records below, each used under the licence noted.

SourceLicence
Pleiades 290080326CC BY
Wikidata Q42295042CC0
OpenStreetMap way/372451734ODbL
Wikipedia (el) — Ρωμαϊκό υδραγωγείο ΜόριαςCC BY-SA 4.0