The water supply of Roman Thessaloniki (original) (raw)
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Evolution of water supply infrastructures of Thessaloniki city, Hellas, through centuries
European Water, 2017
Thessaloniki city, in the east core of Thermaic gulf, has been continuously inhabited for about 2330 years. The choice of its founding at this specific location is very much attributed to the high availability of water in the wider region. However, the development of Thessaloniki in a big city and the simultaneous increasing population, created an increased need for water, which could not be covered by the water of the wells. Until the 19th century, water needs were met with cisterns, water channels, fountains and water towers in combination with the wells. Moreover, the city was also equipped with large scale and of high expertise water supply projects, which were exploiting the region’s water resources in four different places and were transferring water inside the walls. These water transfer works were associated with water distribution systems, with pipes located beneath roads or following the contour lines. Also, people who lived in the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and newer Hellenic periods gave their own perspective in the problems related to water supply in the city. A review of all these techniques through centuries is presented and commented in this paper.
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.
The efforts, techniques and works for water supply in ancient Athens are examined, over a period of twelve centuries from the sixth century BC up to the sixth century AD. The exploitation of local and distant water resources is investigated on the basis of archaeological data in a geological context. The development of city-states in ancient Greece was shaped to some degree by the necessary public infrastructure of hydraulic and drainage works. Engineering achievements such as the Eupalinean tunnel on the island of Samos as well as the Peisistratean aqueduct and the great drain in Athens made possible the expansion of the cities in antiquity. A common and remarkable feature of these ancient works is their sustainability; they have been long forgotten and were accidentally rediscovered and put in operation again in modern times. This is true of both, the Roman Hadrianic aqueduct which supplied Athens for one century since the middle of the 19th century and the ancient Hymettos aqueduct which still irrigates the National Garden of Athens.