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.Reviews''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
List of Figures and TablesAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Floods and HistoryChapter OneFloods in Ancient Rome: Sources and TopographyFloods and the Foundation of RomePrimary Source Descriptions of Floods in Ancient RomeGeographic Extent of Floods Based on Primary SourcesThe Topography of Rome and FloodsMaps of Hypothetical Floods of Different MagnitudesChapter TwoCharacteristics of FloodsFlood Types and Basic HydrologyHydrology of the Tiber and the Tiber Drainage BasinDuration of Floods at RomeSeasonality of Floods at RomeFrequency of Floods at RomeMagnitude of Floods at RomeConclusionChapter ThreeImmediate Effects of FloodsIntroduction and MethodologyDisruption of the Daily Life of the CityDestruction of PropertyCollapse of StructuresInjuries and DrowningCleaning Up after a Flood: Water, Mud, Debris, CorpsesChapter FourDelayed Effects of FloodsWeakened BuildingsFood Spoilage and FamineDiseasePsychological TraumaRecovery and ReconstructionChapter FiveMethods of Flood ControlDrain: The Roman SewersFill: Attempts to Raise Ground LevelDivert: Canals and Channel Modification SchemesContain: Roman EmbankmentsAdministrative Oversight of the TiberChapter SixRoman Attitudes toward FloodsFloods and the Urban Fabric of Ancient Rome: Public BuildingsFloods and the Urban Fabric of Ancient Rome: HousingWater and the GodsFloods and the Gods: Portents and Divine AngerFlood Reports: Context and CausationFlood Prevention: Costs and BenefitsConclusion: The Romans' Failure to Make Rome Safe from FloodsAppendix I: List of Major Floods at Rome, 414 BCAD 2000Appendix II: The Modern Tiber EmbankmentsAppendix III: A Note on Hydrological SourcesNotesBibliographyIndex
""A meticulously researched, well-written, and thoroughly referenced study of a little known aspect of Rome's history.""
