Evolution of Water Supply Through the Millennia

About this book

Evolution of Water Supply Through the Millennia presents the major achievements in the scientific fields of water supply technologies and management throughout the millennia. It provides valuable insights into ancient water supply technologies with their apparent characteristics of durability, adaptability to the environment, and sustainability. A comparison of the water technological developments in several civilizations is undertaken. These technologies are the underpinning of modern achievements in water engineering and management practices.

It is the best proof that "the past is the key for the future." Rapid technological progress in the twentieth century created a disregard for past water technologies that were considered to be far behind the present ones. There are a great deal of unresolved problems related to the management principles, such as the decentralization of the processes, the durability of the water projects, the cost effectiveness, and sustainability issues such as protection from floods and droughts.

In the developing world, such problems were intensified to an unprecedented degree. Moreover, new problems have arisen such as the contamination of surface and groundwater. Naturally, intensification of unresolved problems led societies to revisit the past and to reinvestigate the successful past achievements. To their surprise, those who attempted this retrospect, based on archaeological, historical, and technical evidence were impressed by two things: the similarity of principles with present ones and the advanced level of water engineering and management practices.

Contents

Ancient gods and goddesses of water
L. W. Mays and A. N. Angelakis
Water for human consumption through history
L. W. Mays, M. Sklivaniotis and A. N. Angelakis
History of water and health
Joanna M. Pope, Mark H. Weir and Joan B. Rose
Diachronic evolution of water supply in the Eastern Mediterranean
K. Voudouris
Water and water supply technologies in ancient Iran
Seyed Ali Mahmoudian and Seyed Navid Mahmoudian
A historical perspective on the development of water supply in Egypt
F. A. El-Gohary
The impact of climate changes on the evolution of water supply works in the region of Jerusalem
A. S. Issar and M. Zohar
History of water supply in pre-modern China
P. Du and A. Koenig
Evolution of water supply technologies through the centuries in Crete, Greece
A. N. Angelakis, E. G. Dialynas and V. Despotakis
A brief history of urban water management in ancient Greece
N. Zarkadoulas, D. Koutsoyiannis, N. Mamassis and A. N. Angelakis
Sustainable water supply in pre-Columbian civilizations in Ancient Peru and South America
A. Reyes-Knoche
Historical development of water supply in Cyprus
C. A. Kambanellas
Water supply in the Middle East during Roman and Byzantine periods
Benoît Haut and Didier Viviers
Water supply management technologies in the Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations
G. De Feo, P. Laureano, L. W. Mays and A. N. Angelakis
Water supply sustainability of ancient civilizations in Mesoamerica and the American south-west
Larry W. Mays
Water supply of Athens in the antiquity
E. D. Chiotis and L. E. Chioti
History of the water supply of Rome as a paradigm of water services development in Italy
P. Martini and R. Drusiani
The historical development of water supply to Iraklion, Crete, Greece from antiquity to the present
A. I. Strataridaki, E. G. Chalkiadakis and N. M. Gigourtakis
The historical development of water supply technologies in Barcelona, Spain
M. Salgot and A. N. Angelakis
Water services in Mexico City: The need to return to the IWRM principles of Tenochtitlán (700 years of water history)
B. Jiménez and D. Birrichaga
The evolution of water supply throughout the millennia: A short overview
Demetris Koutsoyiannis, Nikos Zarkadoulas, Nikos Manassis, Andreas N. Angelakis and Larry W. Mays

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