This volume is part of the publication series of the ‘Collection de l’École française de Rome’ and is the revised version of a doctoral thesis discussed at the Université Paris-Sorbonne in 2014. Nicolas Lamare's research analyses the monumental fountains of North Africa in the Roman period, considering their construction aspects, their relationship with the urban fabric and their role as places of supply, sociability and social representation. The book is divided into three thematic sections, to which are added a catalogue of North African hydraulic structures, an epigraphic appendix and two plates.

The first part offers an in-depth status quaestionis on the research and institutions involved in the archaeology of North Africa since pre-colonial times, with a focus on investigations into hydraulic structures. In Chapter 1 (11–31), Lamare concisely and effectively describes the evolution of research, starting with the first descriptions by Arab geographers, passing through the explorations carried out by European travellers in pre-colonial times, and continuing with the description of the institutions created during the years of European colonization, their research and the fundamental role of the societés savantes in the dissemination of archaeological knowledge on the occupied territories. The author does not fail to emphasize how the creation of these institutions and their activities responded to the need for historical and archaeological knowledge, but also to the necessity of strengthening, and in some way justifying, the presence of European countries, particularly France and to a lesser extent Italy, in the North African territories. The research not only aimed at advancing archaeological knowledge of the water resources and the ancient monuments connected to them, but also, and perhaps above all, at building an apparatus of technical knowledge that could be useful for the settlers’ establishment. The consequences of this approach meant the investigations only covered a few areas, those considered as strategically more important, plus the almost total classification of the archaeological remains as belonging to the Roman period and not to earlier times. This approach was partly – but probably not yet completely – overcome in the post-colonial era, with the realization of the fundamental role of the native populations and their building traditions before, during and after the Roman advent.

A useful section clarifying the methods, typological principles and the terminology used in the classification of structures can be found in Chapter 2 (33–56). Here Lamare retraces, through a reasoned critique, the history of studies on monumental fountains, which began with the extensive nineteenth-century excavations in Asia Minor, emphasizing how a typological approach is often insufficient for cataloguing monuments, which should instead be considered in their role within the urban fabric to which they belong.

To reinforce this opinion, in Chapter 3 (57–83) the author outlines a chronological path in which he describes the structural and symbolic evolution of hydraulic installations from the fourth century BC to the sixth century AD in the territories of the Mediterranean. Monumental fountains found their first use in archaic and classical Greece as structures linked to the cult of water and were therefore linked to the presence of a spring. In republican Italy, they were first used in domestic settings and subsequently entered the religious sphere, leading to the birth of the first monumental structures. The advent of the empire marked their full development in Rome and the provinces, with different planimetric, architectural and decorative solutions depending on the territories, building cultures, architectural and urban planning projects.

The second part of the volume focuses on the hydraulic buildings of the African territories, effectively describing their construction techniques with their regional peculiarities, decoration and function. Chapter 4 (89–119) outlines, through a regional approach, the peculiarities of the building techniques used in the construction of monumental fountains in Mauretania Tingitana, Caesariensis, Numidia and Africa Proconsularis/Tripolitania. A variegated panorama emerges, revealing the use of several construction techniques, often in combination, which, apart from a few cases (such as the bricks used during the Severan period at Leptis Magna), do not reveal the existence of a common construction rule, but rather seem to respond to the combination of regional traditions and new allochthonous contributions (such as the opus testaceum, whose appearance in the African territories seems to coincide with the arrival of the Roman army: cf. Thébert Reference Thébert, Boucheron, Broise and Thébert2000, 347–48 for Numidia, and Camporeale Reference Camporeale, Ringbom and Hohlfelder2011 for Tingitana). In general, there is a tendency to use local stones, laid out in blocks, possibly combined with bricks. Decorations, on the other hand, are made with valuable imported materials, such as marble, although structures made entirely of imitation local materials are also present. This trend, as the author points out, responds to economic needs above all, rather than aesthetic ones: local sourcing made it possible to cut down on transport and storage costs.

Chapter 5 (121–70) delves into the subject of architectural decoration and the sources to refer to in order to propose a plausible reconstruction of the buildings, which include not only archaeological remains but also literary and iconographic sources. One can fully agree with the author's conviction that fountains cannot be classified into fixed typologies, but are instead the result of constructive, technical and decorative solutions that often transcend our imagination and can be included in broad categories, within which each territorial context retains its own peculiarity. In Africa, monumental fountains present themselves with varied characteristics, which can only be broadly classified (fountains with a central plan, fountains-ediculas and semi-circular niches, façade fountains), also due to the lack of detailed studies on most structures, which could contribute to identifying possible regional or interregional models to refer to. On the other hand, studies on urban contexts from Asia Minor allow for a more in-depth classification of decorative solutions, which also in Africa present a series of recurring motifs with scenes connected to myths, but also and above all of power, with representations of the emperor, his family and the euergetes who financed the construction of the monuments.

Chapter 6 (171–205) deals with the theme of water supply and the functioning of the North African monumental fountains. After a quick review of the main methods of water abstraction, the author describes the structures connected to its collection and redistribution. Lamare focuses in particular on the structures connected to fountains located within cities or in their immediate vicinity, emphasizing how in most cases they boast earlier phases than the Roman age and how more in-depth studies are needed to detect the actual contribution of indigenous building cultures and techniques and their interactions with the Roman ones. Further research is also required to understand the methods of water adduction and evacuation, and their integration into the structures and, on a larger scale, into the cities.

The third part of the book analyses monumental fountains as part of the urban fabric, and thus as elements that refer to social, economic and religious horizons. Chapter 7 (211–47) looks at the historical and urban contexts of the construction of monumental fountains in North Africa, considering them both in their urban and functional role as water supply points for the population. From a chronological point of view, the fountains are fully included in the urban growth and monumentalization of the African city centres in the Antonine age, coinciding with the implementation of hydraulic infrastructures within the cities, to then see a full development with the great urban and monumental programmes of the Severan period. The position of these structures at strategic points in the urban fabric testifies to their role as meeting and social places and, at the same time, as means of self-representation of the patrons associated with their construction, making them fully part of the cities’ built environment. This functional, social and representative role is maintained even in the Late Antique period, during which many structures are restructured and adapted to the social and urban design changes brought about by the advent of Christianity.

Chapter 8 (249–61) analyses the role of the notables, whose contribution is essential in the embellishment of the African cities in the imperial age. Lamare points out that such acts of patronage were related more to the construction of fountains than of larger hydraulic infrastructures, such as aqueducts. In the late Roman period, however, the role of private notables seems to diminish in favour of municipal funding carried out through governors.

Finally, Chapter 9 (263–84) focuses on the cult-related aspects of monumental fountains. Here the author takes up previous studies on the term ‘nymphaeum’ and its evolution, to define a structure that was linked to worship in Greek and Roman times up to the end of the first century AD, and subsequently seems to have acquired a ‘secular’ character from the second century AD (Settis Reference Settis, Temporini and Haase1973), emphasizing, however, the scarcity of data to reach conclusive arguments on the subject. Also interesting is the in-depth study of septizonia, an architectural type that was particularly represented in the African territories (for instance at Lambaesis and Cincari) and was closely linked with representations of planetary deities.

The catalogue (293–384) analyses these monuments individually, with more or less extensive entries based on the available published data. Entries are also accompanied by illustrations, plans and photographs, which help the reader to find his way around the information contained in the descriptions. The catalogue is followed by an epigraphic appendix (385–405), containing transcriptions, and in some cases photographs, of the inscriptions associated with the North African fountains. The volume concludes with two plates collecting numismatic evidence that can be related to monumental fountains of the ancient world (Plate I) and their plans (Plate II, a-b), organized according to the size of their façades.

In conclusion, this volume certainly constitutes a useful tool for anyone approaching the study of hydraulic structures in the North African region. It offers food for thought on further research to be undertaken, and emphasizes the need for more in-depth analyses of contexts, both on a local, regional and interregional scale. The graphic apparatus is also well-structured and rich, providing readers with visual cues on the constructive, functional and decorative peculiarities of the structures considered. The vastness of the subject and of the region under investigation, combined with the author's ability to synthesize and offer clear descriptions, as well as the attention that is paid to autochthonous and allochthonous cultural aspects, make this book a new and up-to-date point of reference for anyone wishing to engage in future research on this subject.