Floods of the Tiber in Ancient Rome
Published on 30. April 2007
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-0-8018-8405-4 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
A comprehensive, insightful and lucid book-length study on a topic of great importance. -- Eric Kondratieff Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2007 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 2007 Thoughtful study. -- Dennis E. Trout American Historical Review 2007 A noble attempt to bring interdisciplinary evidence from outside classical sources to bear on a long-standing problem of Roman history and archaeology. -- James C. Anderson, Jr. Journal of Interdisciplinary History 2008 A meticulously researched, well-written, and thoroughly referenced study of a little known aspect of Rome's history. -- Brian Fagan Historian 2009More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Illustrations
23 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder, 14 s/w Zeichnungen
14 Line drawings, black and white; 23 Halftones, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 225 mm
Width: 151 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
534 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8018-8405-4 (9780801884054)
DOI
10.1353/book.3303
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Gregory S. Aldrete
Floods of the Tiber in Ancient Rome
E-Book
04/2007
Johns Hopkins University Press
€49.49
Available for download
Person
Gregory S. Aldrete is a professor of history and humanistic studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and author of Gestures and Acclamations in Ancient Rome, also published by Johns Hopkins.
Content
List of Figures and Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Floods and History
Chapter One
Floods in Ancient Rome: Sources and Topography
Floods and the Foundation of Rome
Primary Source Descriptions of Floods in Ancient Rome
Geographic Extent of Floods Based on Primary Sources
The Topography of Rome and Floods
Maps of Hypothetical Floods of Different Magnitudes
Chapter Two
Characteristics of Floods
Flood Types and Basic Hydrology
Hydrology of the Tiber and the Tiber Drainage Basin
Duration of Floods at Rome
Seasonality of Floods at Rome
Frequency of Floods at Rome
Magnitude of Floods at Rome
Conclusion
Chapter Three
Immediate Effects of Floods
Introduction and Methodology
Disruption of the Daily Life of the City
Destruction of Property
Collapse of Structures
Injuries and Drowning
Cleaning Up after a Flood: Water, Mud, Debris, Corpses
Chapter Four
Delayed Effects of Floods
Weakened Buildings
Food Spoilage and Famine
Disease
Psychological Trauma
Recovery and Reconstruction
Chapter Five
Methods of Flood Control
Drain: The Roman Sewers
Fill: Attempts to Raise Ground Level
Divert: Canals and Channel Modification Schemes
Contain: Roman Embankments
Administrative Oversight of the Tiber
Chapter Six
Roman Attitudes toward Floods
Floods and the Urban Fabric of Ancient Rome: Public Buildings
Floods and the Urban Fabric of Ancient Rome: Housing
Water and the Gods
Floods and the Gods: Portents and Divine Anger
Flood Reports: Context and Causation
Flood Prevention: Costs and Benefits
Conclusion: The Romans' Failure to Make Rome Safe from Floods
Appendix I: List of Major Floods at Rome, 414 BC-AD 2000
Appendix II: The Modern Tiber Embankments
Appendix III: A Note on Hydrological Sources
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Floods and History
Chapter One
Floods in Ancient Rome: Sources and Topography
Floods and the Foundation of Rome
Primary Source Descriptions of Floods in Ancient Rome
Geographic Extent of Floods Based on Primary Sources
The Topography of Rome and Floods
Maps of Hypothetical Floods of Different Magnitudes
Chapter Two
Characteristics of Floods
Flood Types and Basic Hydrology
Hydrology of the Tiber and the Tiber Drainage Basin
Duration of Floods at Rome
Seasonality of Floods at Rome
Frequency of Floods at Rome
Magnitude of Floods at Rome
Conclusion
Chapter Three
Immediate Effects of Floods
Introduction and Methodology
Disruption of the Daily Life of the City
Destruction of Property
Collapse of Structures
Injuries and Drowning
Cleaning Up after a Flood: Water, Mud, Debris, Corpses
Chapter Four
Delayed Effects of Floods
Weakened Buildings
Food Spoilage and Famine
Disease
Psychological Trauma
Recovery and Reconstruction
Chapter Five
Methods of Flood Control
Drain: The Roman Sewers
Fill: Attempts to Raise Ground Level
Divert: Canals and Channel Modification Schemes
Contain: Roman Embankments
Administrative Oversight of the Tiber
Chapter Six
Roman Attitudes toward Floods
Floods and the Urban Fabric of Ancient Rome: Public Buildings
Floods and the Urban Fabric of Ancient Rome: Housing
Water and the Gods
Floods and the Gods: Portents and Divine Anger
Flood Reports: Context and Causation
Flood Prevention: Costs and Benefits
Conclusion: The Romans' Failure to Make Rome Safe from Floods
Appendix I: List of Major Floods at Rome, 414 BC-AD 2000
Appendix II: The Modern Tiber Embankments
Appendix III: A Note on Hydrological Sources
Notes
Bibliography
Index