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2010 | Buch

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Ancient Water Technologies

herausgegeben von: L. Mays

Verlag: Springer Netherlands

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik"

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Über dieses Buch

There is no more fundamental resource than water. The basis of all life, water is fast becoming a key issue in today’s world, as well as a source of conflict. This fascinating book, which sets out many of the ingenious methods by which ancient societies gathered, transported and stored water, is a timely publication as overextraction and profligacy threaten the existence of aquifers and watercourses that have supplied our needs for millennia.

It provides an overview of the water technologies developed by a number of ancient civilizations, from those of Mesopotamia and the Indus valley to later societies such as the Mycenaeans, Minoans, Persians, and the ancient Egyptians. Of course, no book on ancient water technologies would be complete without discussing the engineering feats of the Romans and Greeks, yet as well as covering these key civilizations, it also examines how ancient American societies from the Hohokams to the Mayans and Incas husbanded their water supplies. This unusually wide-ranging text could offer today’s parched world some solutions to the impending crisis in our water supply.

"This book provides valuable insights into the water technologies developed in ancient civilizations which are the underpinning of modern achievements in water engineering and management practices. It is the best proof that "the past is the key for the future."
Andreas N. Angelakis, Hellenic Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Association, Greece

"This book makes a fundamental contribution to what will become the most important challenge of our civilization facing the global crisis: the problem of water. Ancient Water Technologies provides a complete panorama of how ancient societies confronted themselves with the management of water. The role of this volume is to provide, for the first time on this issue, an extensive historical and scientific reconstruction and an indication of how traditional knowledge may be employed to ensure a sustainable future for all."
Pietro Laureano, UNESCO expert for ecosystems at risk, Director of IPOGEA-Institute of Traditional Knowledge, Italy

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. A Brief History of Water Technology During Antiquity: Before the Romans

Abstract

Hydraulic technology began during antiquity long before the great works of such investigators such as Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), Evangelista Torricelli (1608–1647), Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), Isaac Newton (1642–1727), Daniel Bernoulli (1700–1782), and Leonhard Euler (1707–1783). The history of hydraulic technology even began long before Archimedes (287–212 B.C.). It is amazing to see what was accomplished in the application of water technology during antiquity, millenniums before the development of the concepts of conservation of mass, energy, and momentum used in present-day hydraulic design. Humans have spent most of their history as hunting and food gathering beings. Only in the last 9,000–10,000 years they discovered how to grow crops and tame animals.

Larry W. Mays

Chapter 2. Water Technology in Ancient Mesopotamia

Abstract

Mesopotamia is in the east side of the region named “fertile crescent”, were agriculture flourished and the earliest civilizations were born more than eight thousand years ago. In the alluvial plain of Lower Mesopotamia agriculture based on irrigation developed, in contrast to the Upper Mesopotamia, where dry-farming was possible. A complex system of canals and waterworks developed, with the dual function to ensure irrigation and to be used as waterways. Control of water was decisive as a way to guarantee economic prosperity, but also was a source of inter-state conflicts and a political tool. Water technology was not limited to irrigation, Mesopotamians also pioneered in sanitary engineering, with many cities presenting networks of wastewater and stormwater drainage systems. Overexploitation of land and water resources for agriculture affected the environment, resulting in silting and soil salinisation, matter that has been recorded since the earliest cuneiform writings.

Aldo Tamburrino

Chapter 3. Water Technology in Ancient Egypt

Abstract

Throughout history humans have been fascinated with the Nile River, especially the Egyptian part of the Nile. The birth of this great civilization has been traced back to a time between 11,000 and 10,000 years ago. Around five thousand years ago this civilization started depending entirely on the Nile River and its annual inundation. This chapter traces the history of water engineering in ancient Egypt starting with the uses of water from the annual inundation of the Nile River for natural irrigation in the Predynastic period to the development of methodologies to advance the use of the Nile River for irrigation.

Larry W. Mays

Chapter 4. Ancient Greek Lavatories: Operation with Reused Water

Abstract

Lavatories can be an indicator of living standard and economic prosperity. Many remains of ancient lavatories have been found in the ancient Greek world, some dating back to the Minoan era. (i.e. Knossos’ Palace). Many references to ancient lavatories have been recorded in numerous ancient Greek scripts. Despite the fact that many related archaeological finds are dated over a wide chronological range, the typical mature ancient Greek lavatory probably is from the Hellenistic period. This was the period of great evolution in Greek water technology. Chambers for that function are found not only in private houses but also in many public buildings and sanctuaries.

Georgios P. Antoniou

Chapter 5. Water Resource Management for Iran’s Persepolis Complex

Abstract

The historical patrimony of any civilization offers numerous vantage points from which to base inquiry into the rich tapestry that weaves its cultural, political, economic, technical, social and natural characteristics. An ancient culture’s interactions with water, and its early attempts at managing it, provide an intriguing lens through which to observe how a society’s growth and development are linked with this precious resource. Early human societies devised straightforward but elegant and innovative-technical solutions for sequestering and allocating the often limited sources of water they knew, redirecting essential quantities from rivers and other surface deposits to both urban and rural areas. In this way, the ancients established the foundation not only for their own economic and cultural development, but also for contemporary water resources engineering. Indeed, water resources management played an important role in all early urban settlements. In Iran, due to frequent drought, thoughtful attention was paid to reliable design. This is particularly evident at the Persepolis complex, the ancient capital of the Achaemenid dynasty. This monument is situated in Fars province in southwest Iran and was built approximately 2,500 years ago by the Mesopotamian civilization. Various water aspects of the Persepolis complex are presented in historical context with commentary on their present condition. Ruins of the runoff system and sewer network of the complex are analyzed to help envisage the original system and how it functioned.

Mahdi Moradi-Jalal, Siamak Arianfar, Bryan Karney, Andrew Colombo

Chapter 6. A Web Based Information System for the Inspection of the Hydraulic Works in Ancient Greece

Abstract

Most ancient civilizations exploited water resources constructing hydraulic works, in order to support the everyday water needs. Ancient societies that flourished on the Greek territory since 3000 B.C. except their great contribution to philosophy, politics, sciences and arts, constructed several technical works. Many of these structures were related with water use. Using hydraulic technologies combined with understanding of processes, ancient Greeks supported several needs such as water supply, drainage of the lands and the cities, flood protection, sanitary facilities and even water use for recreational purposes. Their familiarity with water use is depicted in the hydria of the 6th century B.C. (Fig. 6.1), where young men take baths in a public installation.

Nikos Mamassis, Demetris Koutsoyiannis

Chapter 7. A Brief History of Roman Water Technology

Abstract

Rome’s power extended only to northern Italy in 265 B.C., where the Celt’s were a major barrier to further expansion. They had no navy so that further expansion seemed unlikely; however in the next 120 years Rome became a major Mediterranean power with interests reaching west to Spain and east to Asia and Aegean. In consolidating their empire, the Romans engaged in extensive building of cities. Rome resulted from centuries of irregular growth with particular temple and public districts that were highly planned. The Roman military and colonial towns were laid out in a variation of the grid. The layout of London, Paris and many other European cities resulted from these origins. Cities and towns need a healthy and adequate water supply, so the Romans located along rivers and streams and/or locations with access to springs, which were always favored. When cities were small, obtaining clean water and disposing of wastes was not a major problem, however, as cities grew the large populations and higher densities required public infrastructure.

Larry W. Mays

Chapter 8. Analysis of the Water System of the Ancient Roman City of Apamea

Abstract

In this chapter, a hydraulic system of the city of Apamea (Syria), operated during the 6th century A.D. (Byzantine period), is characterized. Flow rates and energy losses are calculated using global energy balances, coupled with local Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations, realized with the commercial software Fluent 6.3. This characterization provides a new quantitative description of the water supply system of the city, supplementing the usual field observations. Furthermore, the results of this hydraulic characterization are analyzed from an archaeological point of view. Three open historical questions about Apamea are considered. The analysis of the results of the hydraulic characterization allows to propose new interesting elements regarding the answer to these three questions.

Benoît Haut, Didier Viviers

Chapter 9. Water Technology in the Ancient American Societies

Abstract

Many ancient civilizations in the Americas developed water technologies during the same times that water technology was advancing in other parts of the world. This chapter will address water technologies of societies of the pre-Columbian empires in the southwestern United States, Mesoamerica, and the Inca in South America. These locations are shown in Fig. 9.1. In the southwestern U.S. we will discuss water technologies of the Hohokam and the Anasazi. In Mesoamerica we will discuss the water technologies of the Teotihuacan, the Chaco Anasazi, the Xochicalco, the Maya and the Aztec. Finally the Inca water systems of Machu Picchu, Tipon, Pisac, Tambo Machay and Puca Pucara are discussed. For further reading on the failure of some of these ancient civilizations, Mays (2007a, b) discusses the water sustainability of ancient civilizations in Mesoamerica and the American Southwest.

Larry W. Mays, Yuri Gorokhovich

Chapter 10. Ground Water Resources and Earthquake Hazards: Ancient and Modern Perspectives

Abstract

Hydrologic responses to earthquakes such as water level oscillations in monitoring wells and flow changes in streams have been known for decades. However, damage to aquifers and changes in groundwater supplies represents an earthquake hazard that has received relatively little attention from the scientific community. Yet, its impact is high as it leaves well infrastructure without water, results in water pollution, and creates a threat to public health in the aftermath of earthquakes. Although there are relatively few documented cases of the effects of seismic activity on aquifers and groundwater in both the ancient written record and in archaeological studies dealing with the consequences of earthquakes, the use of modern seismic examples and technology could allow for new interpretations of ancient disasters. This chapter reviews known documented modern cases of groundwater supply damages and attempts to analyze similar ancient occurrences in Crete during the Bronze Age.

Yuri Gorokhovich, Lee Ullmann

Chapter 11. Lessons from the Ancients on Water Resources Sustainability

Abstract

At the beginning of this new millennium we have a water crisis which threatens human’s existence in many parts of the world. One might ask, how sustainable is it to live in a world where approximately 1.1 billion people lack safe drinking water, approximately 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation, and between 2 and 5 million people die annually from water-related diseases (Gleick, 2005)?

Larry W. Mays

Backmatter

Titel: Ancient Water Technologies
herausgegeben von: L. Mays
Verlag: Springer Netherlands
Electronic ISBN: 978-90-481-8632-7
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-8631-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8632-7