The Ancient city was supplied with fresh drinking water from the Rhodope Mountains. The two main water captations were found near the present day villages of Kuklen and Markovo. So far during the archaeological excavations the existence of two aqueducts and a clay water conduit are determined. Their hypothetical routes are localized.
One of the aqueducts was about 6 km long. Different in size, its foundations were built on wooden columns stuck into the ground - piers.
More impressive is the preserved Western aqueduct. This facility, restored and presented to the public, welcomes all visitors of Plovdiv who approach the city from the West.
It is fascinating how this impressive facility was built. The bases of the pillars are constructed as a continuous masonry wall with a width of 4.40 m. The typical Roman manner of masonry construction was used for the rest of the structure - square stone blocks arranged in lines are followed by rows of bricks. This construction technique is called opus mixtum, or mixed masonry. The ruins of the foundations that are exhibited in the new Presentation Centre of the Ancient Stadium were probably parts of the aqueduct.
Not many cities in Europe had aqueducts. They were expensive and difficult for construction equipment which only the rich and important cities were able to afford. Parts of aqueducts can still be seen in Rome. And the ruins of the longest and best preserved Roman aqueduct can be seen in France, near the town of Nimes - the Bridge over the river Gard (Pont du Gard).
These expensive engineering structures which supplied the city of Philippopolis with water are another confirmation of its importance in the Antiquity.
