(2017) Studying rivers in the Roman world (original) (raw)
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The expression Roman Civilization, as used in the present chapter, refers to that period which extended from about 100 B.C. to the end of the second century A.D. Perhaps it should have been called the Greco-Roman Civilization, because the Romans had relatively very few new independent conceptions to offer even though they managed to build magnificent aqueducts to supply Rome with millions of gallons of water daily, remarkable sewer systems, and a very fine harbour. Even during the peak of the Roman Civilization, the language of learned men was Greek, and all the major writers of the time (like Varro, Vitruvius, Celsus, Pliny, and Seneca) preferred to demonstrate an encyclopaedic knowledge rather than to express original and independent thoughts. This had a profound effect on the intellectual life in Western Europe throughout the early Middle Ages. It can be said, with some justification, that the Romans were ‘practical’ engineers – for example, their awe-inspiring aqueducts were built without any conscious application of physical principles or unique solutions of constructional problems. Men like Vitruvius and Frontinus did try to lay down some practical principles, but as far as the Romans were concerned, they were satisfied with the existing state of affairs.
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Global perspectives on the complexities of environmental change impacts associated with past and present human activity are needed for the food and water security challenges of the twenty-first century. This is especially true for rivers, for which the onset and persistence of a range in human activities, altering their function and form, have been temporally and spatially variable. Ancient civilisations, states and empires extended geographically to cover sub-continental areas where their river modifying activities became linked to regional Earth system stresses arising from climate and land use change. We present a new interpretative framework for characterising and classifying human impact on river systems, emphasising that this has taken place over decadal to millennial time periods on a sub-continental scale. This 16-element classification and documentation of different human transformations, including land management, urbanisation, industry and engineering activities, is used ...
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Ephemeral streams induce flash-flood events, which cause dramatic morphological changes and impacts on population, mainly because they are intermittent and less predictable. Human pressures on the basin modify load and discharge relationships, inducing dormant instability on the fluvial system that will manifest abruptly during flood events. The flash-flood response of two ephemeral streams affected by load supply modification due to land use changes is discussed in a combination of geomorphic and hydraulic approaches. During the Rivillas flash flood, intensive clearing on the basin led to high rates of sediment flowing into an artificially straightened and inefficient channel. The stream evolved from a sinuous single channel into a shallow braiding occupying the entire width of the valley floor. Misfits and unsteady channel conditions increased velocity, stream power and sediment entrainment capacity and considerably magnified flood damage. Resulting morphosedimentary features reve...