Hidden history: Hi-tech aqueduct explorers map Rome final frontier Explorers are mapping Rome's hidden waterways using robots and GPS The ancient waterways carried water from Germany to North Africa Study is based on map made by British Roman archaeologist Thomas Ashby A hidden network of aqueducts under Rome have been revealed thanks to state-of-the-art technology. Armed with laser rangefinders, GPS technology and remote control robots, a group of speleologists, who are archaelogists with specialist cave-exploring experience, are mapping the ancient structures for the first time. They abseil down access wells and clamber through crevices to access the 11 aqueducts that supplied Rome, which still run for hundreds of miles underground and along stunning viaducts. Exploring: 'Speleo-archaeologists' make their way through a perfectly preserved tunnel in a section of the Acqua Claudia aqueduct, in the grounds of a Franciscan convent in Vicovaro, Rome Narrow: The team abseil down access wells and clamber through crevices to access the 11 aqueducts that supplied Rome Ancient: A hidden network of 2,000 year old aqueducts under Rome have been revealed thanks to state-of-the-art technology The mission of these 'speleo-archaeologists' is to update the last above ground map of the network which was created at the beginning of the 20th century by British Roman archaeologist Thomas Ashby. Alfonso Diaz Boj, a member of Sotterranei di Roma (Underground Rome), said he was 'proud' of the study. Among the areas mapped by the group is the perfectly preserved tunnel section of the Acqua Claudia on the grounds of a Franciscan convent in Vicovaro near Rome. Mr Diaz Boj said: 'It combines what was the birth of archaeology as a science with the latest instruments available.' The pick marks of the Roman diggers can still be seen in the limestone of the tunnel completed in 38 AD by the Emperor Claudius and a lawyer of calcification about half a metre off the ground shows where the water level would have been. 'These aqueducts may not be as beautiful as a statue or like some architecture but I think they are important, they are very beautiful,' Mr Diaz Boj continued. Maps: Their study of the aqueducts is based on the map made by Thomas Ashby, director of the archaeological British School at Rome, between 1906 and 1925 Down you go: The aqueducts can be accessed in various hidden locations near Rome including a doorway near the Villa Medici that leads down a spiral staircase to the water Access: People in the streets above may be completely unaware of the hidden history beneath their feet Stunning: The Acqua Claudia runs 54 miles from the Simbruini Mountains to the heart of Rome and supplied 2,200 litres of water a second The ancient waterways were true feats of engineering, which relied solely on gravity to ensure a flow of water from Germany to North Africa - across what was once the Roman Empire. Their strategic significance is underlined by the fact that Rome had a special magistrate to oversee their maintenance and that the Visigoths cut them off when they were laying siege to the city. The Acqua Claudia runs 54 miles from the Simbruini Mountains to the heart of Rome and supplied 2,200 litres of water a second. Only one of the aqueducts is still operational today - the Acqua Vergine - which can be accessed in various hidden locations near Rome including a doorway near the Villa Medici that leads down a spiral staircase to the water. The Acqua Vergine runs for just over 12 miles and ends up in the Trevi Fountain, photographed every day by crowds of tourists. 'Underground Rome is a final frontier,' said Riccardo Paolucci, another explorer, as he examined a viaduct in a valley near Vicovaro that carried the water further towards the city. Water was a fundamental service for hygiene. In a city like Rome, which had a million inhabitants, there were very few epidemics,' he said. There was a concept of service for the people, for the city. It is a key concept that is maybe lacking not just in modern Rome but globally. Mr Diaz, Mr Paolucci and the others from Sotterranei di Roma work together with Rome's archaeological authority, helping them understand what can be seen above the ground from what is underneath and inaccessible without specialist equipment. Preserved: The Romans built curved sections deliberately to slow the water down Graffiti: Ashby's signature can be seen scrawled on the wall of a section of the Acqua Marcia aqueduct alongside graffiti and poems dating back to the 17th century from visitors who stumbled on the ancient waterway Tours: The group also organises guided tours and courses, including one on the aqueducts starting next month, and are earning an international reputation 'We are who we are because of what we have inside and Rome is what it is because of what is underneath it,' said Mr Paolucci, a specialist potholer who is also called to emergency incidents or whenever a sinkhole opens up in the city. The group also organises guided tours and courses, including one on the aqueducts starting next month, and are earning an international reputation. They were commissioned to map the underground remains of ancient Ephesus in Turkey. Their study of the aqueducts is based on the map made by Thomas Ashby, director of the archaeological British School at Rome, between 1906 and 1925. Abseil: Mr Diaz Boj said the study 'combines what was the birth of archaeology as a science with the latest instruments available.' Sotterranei di Roma (Underground Rome) explore the hidden waterways Statue: The Babuino Fountain which draws its water from the Acqua Felice, one of the aqueducts in Rome Ashby's signature can be seen scrawled on the wall of a section of the Acqua Marcia aqueduct, which also transits through Vicovaro, alongside graffiti and poems dating back to the 17th century from visitors who stumbled on the ancient waterway. 'Ashby's maps were ahead of their time,' Mr Diaz said. He went to the villages, to the local trattorias, he spoke to farmers, to hunters. He found what he found thanks to local knowledge,' he added. It is a technique that we still use today. Working: Only one of the aqueducts is still operational today - the Acqua Vergine The pick marks of the Roman diggers can still be seen in the limestone of the tunnel completed in 38 AD by the Emperor Claudius Important: The aqueducts' strategic significance is underlined by the fact that Rome had a special magistrate to oversee their maintenance and that the Visigoths cut them off when they were laying siege to the city