Description
Book SynopsisIn A Tale of Three Thirsty Cities: The Innovative Water Supply Systems of Toledo, London and Paris in the Second Half of the Sixteenth Century, Chaim Shulman presents an analysis of three projects of urban water supply systems carried out between 1560s–1610s. The technical and economic differences between these projects resulted from external conditions not directly related to the water supply problem. Although the same basic technology was apparently available at the time in all cases, the geographical, engineering, entrepreneurial and cultural nature of each region differed. The inhabitants’ wellbeing improvement achieved varied accordingly. Much broader insights are drawn on the policies of the three monarchies regarding the initiative of and support for grand scale public works in general.
Trade Review"One of the strengths of Shulman’s study is his meticulous reconstruction of how these engines worked, who funded them, how they functioned over time and their impact, if any, on the development of water-supply technology in general. For this purpose, in an exemplary manner the author combines written, printed, and beautifully reproduced pictorial sources." - Karel Davids, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in: Technology and Culture, July 2020, Vol. 61, pp. 953-955 "[...] readers may enjoy the technical discussions of these machines’ creation and functioning, the tracing of their intellectual roots, and the financial and political intricacies that both promoted and undermined their accomplishments." - G. Geltner, University of Amsterdam, in: Renaissance Quarterly LXXI I , No. 4: 1471-1472 [DOI: 10.1017/rqx.2019.415]
Table of ContentsAbbreviations, Date Conventions and Notes List of Figures Included in the Text Introduction The Subject of Our Research Mechanical’ Engineers and Know-How Migration 1 Human Water Consumption in England, France and Spain in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries 2 Water-lifting Technology in the Graeco-Roman World and Its Development through the Renaissance The Invention of Water-lifting Devices The Use of Water-lifting Devices in the Roman Era Islamic Technological Influence The Diffusion of the Waterwheel in Europe The Improvement of Water Lifting Technology in Europe, Evolution or Quantum Leaps? Basic Water Raising Technologies Direct Water-lifting with Compartmented Waterwheels Archimedean Screws Ctesibius’ Double-Acting Force Pumps Theatres of Machines Complex Water Lifting Configurations Relevant to the Present Study Water-Raising Machines at Atmospheric Pressure Transmission of Power through Distances Waterwheels Sensitivity to Variations in the Level of the River Flow Piping Networks The Diffusion of False Know-How The Italian Strategy—Gravity Based Solutions 3 Toledo Spain and Toledo in the 1560s Early Attempts to Supply Water to Toledo Water Supply to Toledo in the Sixteenth Century Juanelo Turriano The Artificio Iconographic Representations and Exact Location of the Artificio Building The Artificio’s Technology—The Operational Principle Escosura y Beck—The Inclined Plane Theory The Vertical Solution, Proposed by Ladislao Reti Juan Luis Peces Ventas’ Improvement of the Inclined Plane Theory Nicolás García Tapia’s Proposition Francesc Xavier Jufre García’s Concept: Operating Valturio Scales Unanswered Technical Questions Technical Conclusions The Artificio, as Seen by Contemporary Writers The Ingenio of Juan Fernández del Castillo Land Reclamation and Sewerage in Spain The Spanish Attitude Towards Science and Technology during the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries 4 London Tudor London in the 1580s Early Attempts to Provide the City with a Water Supply System The Elizabethan Patent System Peter Morris The London Bridge Waterworks in Contemporary Sources Technical Operation Supporting Evidence for Bate’s Interpretation of Morris’ Operational Principle The External Appearance of the London Waterworks The Consequences of the Installation of Waterwheels on the London Bridge The Later Development of the London Bridge Waterworks Other Initiatives The New River Competition between the Different Water Suppliers Land Reclamation and Sewerage in England 5 Paris Government and Municipal Authorities—Paris Administration and Development in the Late Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries History of Former Water Supply Undertakings La Samaritaine The Operational Principle of La Samaritaine Description of the Original Samaritaine Building in Contemporary Travelogues Depictions of the Original Building of La Samaritaine in Maps and Views of Paris The Samaritaine Building after its Renovation in 1714 Additional Initiatives to Solve the Water Problem in the Seventeenth Century Pumps at Pont Notre Dame The Machine at Marly Land Reclamation and Sewerage in France 6 Conclusions Sources and Bibliography Sources Studies Websites Online Sources for Retrieved Images
