The Seven Halls, Ancient Roman cistern complex on Oppian Hill, Rome, Italy.
The Seven Halls is an underground storage complex on the Oppian Hill with nine parallel chambers, each stretching between 30 and 40 meters in length. The walls are lined with waterproof plaster to prevent moisture loss from the structure.
The structure was built around 100 AD to serve as a major water reservoir that supplied the Baths of Trajan through a branch of the aqueduct system from the Esquiline Hill. It represented a key component in the water distribution network of ancient Rome.
The northern sections served as burial chambers during the medieval period and still show signs of this different use. Visitors can see how the place held different meanings for people across different centuries.
The entrance sits on Via delle Terme di Traiano at the edge of a public park, making it straightforward to locate. The underground chambers remain cool and visitors should watch for uneven flooring in the subterranean sections.
The name came about in the eighteenth century when only seven chambers were identified, although nine parallel compartments actually exist. This naming stuck even though the full extent of the complex has long been known.
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