Despite the considerable amount of studies and research on ancient and post-ancient times dedicated to the Nemorense context, there is currently a lack of research aimed at investigating the characterisation and role of water in the dynamics underlying the development of settlements and human presence in ancient times around the ‘mirror of Diana’. Based on the importance of the lake and its springs since protohistoric times and then from the 6th century BC to the 5th century AD, this contribution aims to offer some reflections on the census and use of spring sources and lake waters, which in some cases are closely connected to archaeological remains and infrastructure for management and use in public and private buildings. The analysis will offer the possibility to glimpse the role of water in the development of mythical events and in the performance of cults in and around the lake, or rather to foreshadow the persistence of the water element in religiosity between Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
