Description
Book SynopsisThis volume considers how Greco-Roman authorities manipulated water on the practical, technological, and political levels. Water was controlled and harnessed with legal oversight and civic infrastructure (e.g., aqueducts). Waterways were improved' and made accessible by harbors, canals, and lighthouses. The Mediterranean Sea and Outer Ocean (and numerous rivers) were mastered by navigation for warfare, exploration, settlement, maritime trade, and the exploitation of marine resources (such as fishing). These waterways were also a robust source of propaganda on coins, public monuments, and poetic encomia as governments vied to establish, maintain, or spread their identities and predominance. This first complete study of the ancient scientific and public engagement with water makes a major contribution to classics, geography, hydrology and the history of science alike. In the ancient Mediterranean Basin, water was a powerful tool of human endeavor, employed for industry, trade, hunting
Trade ReviewThe major contribution of this project may well be that it reminds us forcefully of how crucial water was to our Greco-Roman ancestors, how dangerous it could be when things went wrong and how much ingenuity was developed by them to use it productively. * Classics for All *
Conceptions of the Watery-World in Greco-Roman Antiquity together with Using and
Conquering the Watery-World in Greco-Roman Antiquity aim to be a definitive resource on all things ‘watery’ in the ancient Mediterranean. The sheer scope and level of detail makes these works incredibly useful for scholars of water in the ancient environment, while the careful discussion of water in its context is relevant for anyone with a broader interest in the natural environment ... If you need anything to do with water in Graeco-Roman antiquity, chances are you can find it in these two volumes! * The Classical Review *
[T]he book will serve as a useful resource of first resort for student research topics or for instructors seeking a quick knowledge boost across the vastness of the watery landscape in Greek and Roman studies. * Technology and Culture *
Table of ContentsAbbreviations Figures and Maps Acknowledgements 1: Introduction: Using and Conquering the Watery World
Controlling and Harnessing Water 2: Water Rights 3: Water Quality and Urban Planning 4: Urban Hydraulic Engineering 5: Maritime Hydraulic Engineering
Engaging with the Watery World 6: Sailing and Navigating 7: Maritime Trade and Travel 8: Harvesting the “Barren” Sea
The Sea and “National” Identity: The political manipulation of the Watery World 9: Minoan Thalassocracy, Archaic Expansion, and Maritime Iconography 10: Hellenic and Hellenistic Thalassocracies 11: Rome:
Oceanus Domitus 12: Conclusion Appendix of Major Writers and Thinkers Notes Bibliography Index
