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Water History, 2013
This paper presents the results of the ‘Roman Barcino Water Network’ Project. This study employed a series of methodologies aiming at joining and interpreting all data available on water supply, distribution, management, use and discharge in the Roman colony of Barcino (modern Barcelona). Analyses of the results substantially modified previous knowledge of Barcino’s water organization and provided one of the few examples in which the whole water system of a Roman city has been tackled. We concluded that the water supply employed a single aqueduct, which divided before entering the city and not two of them as it was previously assumed. Barcino’s water distribution system was designed according to the different uses of water and was conditioned by the city’s particular topography. The results also stress the colony’s ample water availability, which despite its small size, allowed the maintenance of multiple public and private baths as befitted an accommodated population of merchants and administrators.
Revista d'Arqueologia de Ponent, 2019
The Roman city of Clunia (nowadays the Spanish province of Burgos) became capital of the Tarraconensis conventus with the Augustan provincial reform, which provided a major boost for its urban development. The suitability of the city’s location is evident by the fact it was built on a plateau concealing an underground karst cave that provided direct access to water without requiring major engineering works. The waters in this cave were used and administered by the people, and some of its galleries acted as a shrine for worshipping. This study provides an overview of the modern drainage systems in order to study more profoundly the forms of urban organization, on which we have only partial knowledge currently, given the breadth of the field. We believe that some of these drains are actually tracks of ancient streets that have been fossilized in orography. To reach these conclusions, we analysed several IR photographs, and applied hydrological GIS functions to observe the path of these tracks and their relationship to what is currently known of the city’s urban layout. This analysis of the surface was completed by relating it to the karst topography by conducting geophysical surveys in areas where wells giving access to the cave were detected using radiolocation. Finally, we applied a range of hydrological GIS functions and indexes on a high-resolution DEM, obtained from LIDAR technology (5 m/pixel), to confirm how the drainage worked. The results have highlighted landforms on the plateau, providing new hypotheses about Clunia’s urban development. Repetitive modulations were also observed in the distances between some of the drains, thus making for a better understanding of the characteristics of an entire sector of the ancient city. We therefore believe that the drainage calculation method may be a useful tool for the study of urban structures that have not been excavated yet.
Recornsidering the water system of Roman Barcino (Barcelona) from supply to discharge
Water Hystori, 2013
This paper presents the results of the ‘Roman Barcino Water Network’ Project. This study employed a series of methodologies aiming at joining and interpreting all data available on water supply, distribution, management, use and discharge in the Roman colony of Barcino (modern Barcelona). Analyses of the results substantially modified previous knowledge of Barcino’s water organization and provided one of the few examples in which the whole water system of a Roman city has been tackled. We concluded that the water supply employed a single aqueduct, which divided before entering the city and not two of them as it was previously assumed. Barcino’s water distribution system was designed according to the different uses of water and was conditioned by the city’s particular topography. The results also stress the colony’s ample water availability, which despite its small size, allowed the maintenance of multiple public and private baths as befitted an accommodated population of merchants and administrators
(2012) Reuse, Repair and Reconstruction. Functioning aqueducts in post-Roman Spain
2012
Despite the wide assumption that aqueducts were exclusively characteristic of the Romans, it is now possible to go beyond this assumption, thanks to recent archaeological excavations in Spain and the re-assessment of the published material. This paper will analyse the continuity of Roman urban aqueducts after the 5th century, paying special attention to the works of the Visigothic monarchy, the church and the Umayyad states (the emirate and the caliphate). We will try to understand not only the political motivations behind these repairs but also the different techniques and solutions used to maintain these structures, by means of studying not only the date of the aqueducts but also of other known water-consuming structures (like baths or fountains). The main case studies are those of Córdoba, Mérida, Barcelona and Valencia, although some other examples, such as Tarragona will also be taken into consideration.
Conroy, J.-F. et al.(dirs.) Actes du XI Colloque International Étudiant du Département d’histoire de l’Université Laval. 1-3 février 2011. Québec, 2012, 2012
We propose a thesis within the framework of this 11 th International Conference of the Graduate Student Association of the History Department of Université Laval from the fields of ancient history, environmental history and the protection of historical and archaeological heritage of water management in the Roman province of " Hispania Baetica ". The main purpose of this paper is the exposure of our research into water management and the interactions between society and the environment in the Roman Empire, specifically in the Roman province of Andalusia (Spain). Moreover, we intend to present a methodological proposal that combines historical, archaeological and geographical data from the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications, as a method of remote exploration of ancient aqueducts. Research on historic aqueducts faces specific problems because of certain characteristics inherent in their morphology. This adds to the difficulty of implementing protection measures and also for their preservation by government. In this paper, we will present the principles of our doctoral research by de ning the problem, establishing the objectives and stating our methodology. Subsequently, within the scope of our research, we would like to apply our methodology to the existing knowledge and boundaries of one of the most important elements of hydraulic heritage, namely aqueducts. Ancient aqueducts, due to their morphology and structural characteristics, present di culties in de ning them precisely, with the consequent problems around establishing a protection and conversation regime by government agencies. To overcome this issue of de nition, we propose to use a remote sensing technique to gather the complete shape of aqueducts through the use of GIS methodologies. To validate this approach, we applied this technique to a real case, namely a stretch of the Roman aqueduct in Cadiz; we therefore present the initial results of this methodology for scrutiny. ese preliminary results are given in this paper to reveal the problems we encountered.
2009
It is self-evident that all human settlements, whether a village, town or city, need water for drinking, sanitation and agriculture. As Landels (2000: 34) states:” Water supply represented one of the most serious problems for Greek and Roman urban communities”. Three factors influence the amount of water required, namely 1) the size of the population, 2) the use to which water is put and 3) the efficiency of the water transport and distribution system.
Great Waterworks in Roman Greece Aqueducts and Monumental Fountain Structures Function in Context
The Hadrianic aqueduct of Corinth, bringing water from Stymphalos, was one of the largest works of engineering conducted in Greece during Roman times. Its course as well as its construction and other technical details had been studied by the undersigned in the past. That investigation was able to follow the line of the aqueduct as far as the western outskirts of Corinth but not within the city proper. This paper precisely discusses the course and final destination of the aqueduct within the city. Thanks to recent fieldwork we were able to map traces of the aqueduct on the slopes of Acrocorinth, and consequently narrow down the area where the main water reservoir should be sought. In addition, we discuss some other water channels known from this area and whether they could belong to the Hadrianic line or not. Finally we address the subject of the final recipients of the Stymphalian water, namely the fountains and the public baths.
A brief history of urban water supply in antiquity
Water Science & Technology: Water Supply, 2007
A brief history of ancient water supply techniques for urban areas from the earliest civilizations through the Roman times is presented. Throughout the history of urban centers, a sufficient water supply has been the backbone of each city. All sources of water, rivers, lakes, springs, underground sources, and rainwater collection, were exploited for urban supply starting from the earliest civilizations. The specific choice was depending upon the civilization, the geomorphology, the topography, and the local climatic and hydrological conditions. No large-scale lifting techniques were available; thus, water was transferred from the source by aqueducts from a higher altitude. Cisterns used for collection of rain water and wells for drawing groundwater were very well developed since the Bronze Age. During historical times, Greeks and later Romans reached a high level of water supply technologies that greatly influenced modern achievements in water engineering and management.