Floods of the Tiber in Ancient Rome (Ancient Society and History)

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. (2007) Contents......Page 10 List of Figures and Tables......Page 14 Acknowledgments......Page 18 Introduction: Floods and History......Page 22 Floods and the Foundation of Rome......Page 31 Primary Source Descriptions of Floods in Ancient Rome......Page 34 Geographic Extent of Floods Based on Primary Sources......Page 54 The Topography of Rome and Floods......Page 60 Maps of Hypothetical Floods of Different Magnitudes......Page 66 Flood Types and Basic Hydrology......Page 72 Hydrology of the Tiber and the Tiber Drainage Basin......Page 75 Duration of Floods at Rome......Page 82 Seasonality of Floods at Rome......Page 87 Frequency of Floods at Rome......Page 92 Magnitude of Floods at Rome......Page 102 Conclusion......Page 110 Introduction and Methodology......Page 112 Disruption of the Daily Life of the City......Page 113 Destruction of Property......Page 118 Collapse of Structures......Page 123 Injuries and Drowning......Page 139 Cleaning Up after a Flood: Water, Mud, Debris, Corpses......Page 144 Weakened Buildings......Page 150 Food Spoilage and Famine......Page 152 Disease......Page 162 Psychological Trauma......Page 175 Recovery and Reconstruction......Page 181 Five: Methods of Flood Control......Page 187 Drain: The Roman Sewers......Page 188 Fill: Attempts to Raise Ground Level......Page 198 Divert: Canals and Channel Modification Schemes......Page 202 Contain: Roman Embankments......Page 213 Administrative Oversight of the Tiber......Page 219 Floods and the Urban Fabric of Ancient Rome: Public Buildings......Page 225 Floods and the Urban Fabric of Ancient Rome: Housing......Page 232 Water and the Gods......Page 238 Floods and the Gods: Portents and Divine Anger......Page 240 Flood Reports: Context and Causation......Page 242 Flood Prevention: Costs and Benefits......Page 246 Conclusion: The Romans’ Failure to Make Rome Safe from Floods......Page 253 Appendix I: List of Major Floods at Rome, 414 BC–AD 2000......Page 262 Appendix II: The Modern Tiber Embankments......Page 268 Appendix III: A Note on Hydrological Sources......Page 274 Notes......Page 278 Bibliography......Page 324 A......Page 346 C......Page 347 D......Page 348 E......Page 349 F......Page 350 H......Page 351 M......Page 352 P......Page 353 R......Page 354 S......Page 355 T......Page 356 W......Page 358 Z......Page 359 A study of the impact of flooding on the ancient city during the classical period. 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. " Floods of the Tiber in Ancient Rome is that rare thing in scholarship, a work that genuinely fills a gap in the scholarly literature. Professor Aldrete has brilliantly illuminated an aspect of ancient Rome that was ever present to the city's inhabitants but almost invisible to modern historians." — Stanley Burstein, history teacher "Raises important questions about the effects of flooding of the Tiber on the city of ancient Rome and its inhabitants and explores why Romans did not take more sweeping steps to reduce, if not eliminate, the dangers of urban flooding. There is no comparable book-length study of this topic, so this work fills a real need. It will be of interest not only to students of ancient history, but to hydrologists and students of urban studies as well. Certainly it will give us classicists much to think about in our assessment of urban life in ancient Rome." —Harry B. Evans, Fordham University, author of Aqueduct Hunting in the Seventeenth Century

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.

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.--book Jacket. Floods In Ancient Rome : Sources And Topography -- Characteristics Of Floods -- Immediate Effects Of Floods -- Delayed Effects Of Floods -- Methods Of Flood Control -- Roman Attitudes Towards Floods -- Conclusion : The Romans' Failure To Make Rome Safe From Floods. Gregory S. Aldrete. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 303-323) And Index.