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 dependent 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.
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Research Article|
March 01 2007
A brief history of urban water supply in antiquity Available to Purchase
L.W. Mays;
*Arizona State Univ., Tempe, Arizona 85287-5306, USA (E-mail: [email protected])
E-mail: [email protected]
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D. Koutsoyiannis;
D. Koutsoyiannis
**Department of Water Resources, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechneiou 5, GR 157 80, Zographou, Greece (E-mail: [email protected])
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A.N. Angelakis
A.N. Angelakis
***Institute of Iraklio, National Agricultural Research Foundation, 71307 Iraklio, Greece (E-mail: [email protected])
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Water Supply (2007) 7 (1): 1–12.
Citation
L.W. Mays, D. Koutsoyiannis, A.N. Angelakis; A brief history of urban water supply in antiquity. Water Supply 1 March 2007; 7 (1): 1–12. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2007.001
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