The information collected so far allows us to summarize the history of the Greek hydraulic technologies, which started from Bronze Age and after over 2,000 years of development, were inherited to the Romans. The evolution of hydraulic works in Ancient Greece is strongly connected with the different characteristics of Greek civilizations. The small scale hydrosystems of the Minoan villas and Mycenaean fortified palaces were gradually ruined and replaced by larger systems during the Archaic and Classical periods. The structures of Hellenistic and Roman period incorporated new advanced water technologies and construction techniques, resulting in hydraulic works that in many cases are still in use. Romans who conquered Greece at the end of the second century B. C., respected the local culture and science and improved the current technology in order to support their vast empire with a variety of technical works.
Reviewing the material of the database we can summarize some special characteristics of each period, related with the scale, the type, the use and the visibility of the structures
The majority of the recorded structures of the Minoan and Cycladic periods are located in the four palaces of Crete (Knossos, Phaistos, Mallia, Zakros). In these well organized sites several small scale hydraulic works (aqueducts, cisterns, wells) operated to ensure the water supply and drainage of their dwellers. Also small scale facilities (lavatories, bathtubs, recreational fountains) ensured a luxury way of life that can be compared with the modern one. During this period small scale hydraulic works can be also found in other places of Crete (Archanes, Chamaizi, Hagia Triadha, Palecastro, Pyrgos, Tylissos), in the islands of Thera and Cyprus, and in Asia Minor.
The water facilities of the peaceful Minoan civilization were also followed by the Mycenaean warriors. The fortified palaces of the Mycenaean period (Mycenae, Tyrins, Pylos) in mainland Greece are also places that hydraulic technologies were applied. During that period the larger scale water management for agricultural purposes (irrigation, drainage) led to the construction of hydraulic structures that control larger water quantities. A great example of such a work is the drainage of the Lake Copais located in Boeotia. The water of the Boeotic Kephisos River that fed the lake, were directed through a 25 km canal to natural sinkholes in the karst subsurface. The constructors (Mynians) protected the reclaimed land with dykes and used it for cultivation but also for building a palace in a former small island of the lake. The project was in operation until the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization. Other drainage systems of this period are those of Tiryns and Olympia with the first system to include a 10 m high dam in its structures. The dam was used to divert waters from one stream to another, perhaps to protect the city of Tiryns from floods.
During the Archaic period hydraulic works similar with those of previous periods were constructed. The higher populations of the cities increased the need of transferring water from distant sources, in addition to local water resources (wells, cisterns, springs). During this period the engineering experience of the past matured, enabling the construction of more advanced technical works. Two very important aqueducts, the Peisistratean and the Eupalinean, are the main contribution of the Archaic period to the water technology. The Peisistratean aqueduct that transported water to the city of Athens was a huge technical achievement. The main part of its
7.5 km route was constructed as a 14 m deep tunnel (for security reasons), in which a ceramic pipeline was laid. The Eupalinean aqueduct, that transported water in the city of Samos, comprised the fist deep tunnel in history dug from two openings. The tunnel was constructed around 530 B. C. with a length of about 1,050 m. Eupalinos had a great knowledge of engineering, which enabled the digging of the tunnel from two openings, a practice followed also today. He used advanced geometrical techniques to eliminate the impact of uncertainty in position in the tunnel excavation and ensure the hydraulic gradient to sustain flow in the aqueduct (Koutsoyiannis et al., 2008).
During the Classical period a vast variety of hydraulics works were constructed to serve the urban water supply and sewerage of the prosperous Greek cities. In many cases smaller structures (cisterns, fountains, wells) supplemented larger hydraulic works (aqueducts), augmenting the water management possibilities and forming the concept of a large scale hydrosystem. During this period Athens, the most important city of the Greek antiquity, had a population of more than 200,000 and an extended hydrosystem. This was based mainly on the Peisistratean aqueduct, two rivers with ephemeral flow, natural springs, and wells and cisterns supplied by storm water.
Other important hydraulic works of this period were a dam in Alysia (western Greece) and an aqueduct that carried water in a water tank in the city of Megara, near Athens. The dam of Alysia is preserved in good condition (Fig. 6.4) and is characterized by its masonry body and the spillway that operates still today.
World History
