Water technology began during antiquity long before the great works of investigators such as Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782). The history of water technology started even before Archimedes (287-212 B. C.).
Moreover, great water projects were already built thousands of years before the development of the concepts of conservation of mass, energy and momentum, (which are used in present-day water project designs) even existed.
This book presents an introduction to ancient water technology. It is different from other books related to ancient water technologies and concentrated on specific ancient civilizations, in that it presents a more universal picture of ancient water technology. It is written by authors from multidisciplinary fields ranging from engineering, water resources engineering, hydrology to archaeology, architecture and geology.
The entire spectrum of ancient water technologies can never be covered in one book, let alone by one author, however, this volume provides an excellent overview of the water technologies of many ancient civilizations. These include the very earliest civilizations such as the Mesopotamians and the Indus Valley Civilization, later civilizations such as the Mycenaeans, the Minoans, the Persians, and the Egyptians, followed by water technologies of the Greeks, the Romans, the Urartians, and the Nabataeans. Furthermore, water technologies of ancient civilizations in the Americas, including the Hohokams, the Anasazis, the Teotihuacans, the Xochicalcoans, the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Incas are also covered.
Each of the chapters presents a detailed discussion on various topics, one can read for example about ancient Greek Lavatories, an analysis of the water system of a Roman city, effects on groundwater resources from earthquakes in antiquity or, the water management of a complex in ancient Iran.
This book has grown out of a sincere passion to learn about water technology developed by ancient civilizations. This has driven me to visit many ancient locations, particularly in Italy, France, Greece, Spain, and Turkey to study and photograph remains of the ancient water systems. Combined with this passion is my interest in sustainability issues, in particular water resources sustainability, and how we may use technologies (traditional knowledge) developed by the ancients to help alleviate and solve some of our present day water resources problems.
Water resources sustainability is the ability to use water in sufficient quantities and quality from the local to the global scale to meet the needs of humans and ecosystems for the present and the future to sustain life, and to protect humans from the damages brought about by natural and human-caused disasters that affect sustaining life. The success and/or failure of the ancient civilizations depended upon their awareness and ability to work with water resources sustainability issues. Our present day future also depends upon similar issues related to water resources sustainability. Studying ancient water technologies may provide answers for our future.
A book is a companion along the pathway of learning. Have a good journey.
Larry W. Mays
Tempe, Arizona
World History
