In this Book
- Floods of the Tiber in Ancient Rome
- Book
- 2007
- Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
- Series: Ancient Society and History
summary
While the remains of its massive aqueducts serve as tangible reminders of Rome’s efforts to control its supply of drinking water, there are scant physical reminders that other waters sometimes raged out of control. In fact, floods were simply a part of life in ancient Rome, where proximity to the Tiber left a substantial part of the city vulnerable to the river's occasional transgressions. Here, in the first book-length treatment of the impact of floods on an ancient city, Gregory S. Aldrete draws upon a diverse range of scientific and cultural data to develop a rich and detailed account of flooding in Rome throughout the classical period.Aldrete explores in detail the overflowing river’s destructive effects, drawing from ancient and modern written records and literary accounts, analyses of the topography and hydrology of the Tiber drainage basin, visible evidence on surviving structures, and the known engineering methods devised to limit the reach of rising water. He discusses the strategies the Romans employed to alleviate or prevent flooding, their social and religious attitudes toward floods, and how the threat of inundation influenced the development of the city's physical and economic landscapes.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Figures and Tables
- pp. xiii-xvi
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xvii-xx
- Introduction
- pp. 1-9
- Two: Characteristics of Floods
- pp. 51-90
- Three: Immediate Effects of Floods
- pp. 91-128
- Four: Delayed Effects of Floods
- pp. 129-165
- Five: Methods of Flood Control
- pp. 166-203
- Six: Roman Attitudes Toward Floods
- pp. 204-231
- Conclusion
- pp. 232-240
- Appendix I
- pp. 241-246
- Appendix II
- pp. 247-252
- Appendix III
- pp. 253-256
- Bibliography
- pp. 303-324
Additional Information
ISBN
9780801891885
Related ISBN(s)
9780801884054
MARC Record
OCLC
646769548
Pages
368
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No