Description
Book SynopsisFocusing attention on gravity-fed water-flow systems in mediaeval cities and monasteries, this is a study of water technology in the Middle Ages. Roberta J. Magnusson challenges the view that hydraulic engineering died with the Romans and remained moribund until the Renaissance.
Trade ReviewA concise but illuminating examination of the period's advanced hydraulic engineering... Writing in a scholarly yet graceful and nearly literary style, Magnusson brings a niche topic to life and her treatment is refreshingly devoid of verbosity, a common fault of books of this type. Instead, what comes through is an engaging, intelligent story and study of a fundamental technical challenge that we still struggle with, albeit in different ways, 700 to 800 years later. Civil Engineering Well-written and well-organized... Throughout, [Magnusson's] documentation is careful and substantial, and she does a fine job of placing the history of water technology securely within its economic, social, and political context. -- William H. TeBrake H-France The particular value of this book lies in the convincing way Magnusson describes how medieval water systems functioned in differing social situations; the technological history is framed by general history very skillfully. -- Petra J. E. M. van Dam Technology and Culture A detailed look at gravity-flow water systems... Magnusson weaves together a wealth of information otherwise available only in scattered regional and archaeological studies. -- Charles W. Clark History: Reviews of New Books A richly interesting book on an unlikely topic. Virginia Quarterly Review A well-written and carefully structured account of the provision of the medieval water supply. -- Christopher Allmand Historian An admirably comprehensive and systematic summary of the technology of medieval water systems. Journal of Interdisciplinary History A fascinating introduction to the study of medieval complex water delivery systems. -- Thomas F. Glick Speculum
Table of ContentsContents: Introduction List of Abbreviations Acknowledgments List of Illustrations Chapter 1: Survival and Revival Chapter 2: Resource Acquisition Chapter 3: Design and Construction Chapter 4: Administration and Finance Chapter 5: Users Chapter 6: Epilogue Notes on Sources Index
