Kasserine Dam

The Kasserine Dam was a Roman dam at Kasserine (ancient Cillium), Tunisia. The curved structure which dates to the 2nd century AD is variously classified as arch-gravity dam^[1] or gravity dam.^[2]

Kasserine Dam
Kasserine Dam in the 1880s, by Eugène Girardet
Location of Kasserine Dam in Tunisia
Location	Kasserine, Kasserine Governorate, Tunisia
Coordinates	35.1658°N 8.8006°E / 35.1658; 8.8006
Opening date	2nd century
Dam and spillways
Height	10 m
Length	150 m
Width (base)	7.3 m

The dam consisted of a core of earth and rubble faced with mortared blocks of cut stone. The upstream face is vertical, while the downstream side steps down through six courses and then continues vertically for 3.8 m. The thickness at the crest is 4.9 m, and at the base 7.3 m.^[3]

See also

• List of Roman dams and reservoirs
• Roman architecture
• Roman engineering

Notes

1. James & Chanson 2002
2. Smith 1971, pp. 35f.; Schnitter 1978, p. 30
3. Jansen, Robert B. (1983). Dams and Public Safety. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. p. 18. Retrieved Jan 31, 2021.

References

• James, Patrick; Chanson, Hubert (2002), "Historical Development of Arch Dams. From Roman Arch Dams to Modern Concrete Designs", Australian Civil Engineering Transactions, CE43: 39–56
• Schnitter, Niklaus (1978), "Römische Talsperren", Antike Welt, 8 (2): 25–32
• Smith, Norman (1971), A History of Dams, London: Peter Davies, ISBN 0-432-15090-0