Bryn Mawr Classical Review: 2018.11.26

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Elena Sanchez Lopez, Javier Martinez Jimenez, Los acueductos de Hispania: constructie si abandon. Colectia Juanelo Turriano de Istoria ingineriei. Madrid: Fundatia Juanelo Turriano, 2016. Pp. 295. ISBN 9788494269578.

Revizuit de Linda R. Gosner, Universitatea din Michigan, Ann Arbor ([email protected])

Versiune pe site-ul de acasa BMCR

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In afara de celebrul apeduct din Segovia, un site remarcabil de bine conservat si adesea fotografiat Patrimoniul Mondial UNESCO, majoritatea dintre noi ar fi greu de gandit la alte apeducte din Iberia Romana. Los acueductos de Hispania: constructie si abandon, o noua carte despre istoria si arheologia apeductelor urbane din Peninsula Iberica, ofera detalii despre numeroasele apeducte iberice mai putin cunoscute. Cartea face parte dintr-o serie de carti online, cu acces deschis, produse de Fundatia Juanelo Turriano, o fundatie bazata pe Madrid, dedicata promovarii istoriei stiintei, tehnologiei si ingineriei pentru un public larg academic si laic. Aici, Elena Sanchez Lopez si Javier Martinez Jimenez au compilat date noi si vechi din toata Peninsula Iberica, producand o sinteza a informatiilor existente despre apeductele urbane. Cartea – care are un domeniu geografic cronologic si geografic remarcabil de larg – beneficiaza de baza de cunostinte a ambilor autori. Impreuna, acestia acopera intreaga Peninsula Iberica si discuta dovezi care au variat de la cucerirea romana pana in Evul Mediu. Sanchez Lopez (Universidad de Granada) a scris anterior despre apeductele romane din intreaga Baetica si a produs o analiza detaliata a apeductului de la Almunecar pentru disertatia sa de doctorat si diverse articole ulterioare. Dimpotriva, Martinez Jimenez (Universitatea Cambridge), aduce expertiza in probele post-romane pentru gestionarea apei urbane. Discursul sau din 2014 avea dreptulApeducte si alimentare cu apa in orasele Spaniei post-romane (400-1000) . Autorii ne-au facut un serviciu enorm, deoarece o mare parte din date provin din lucrari de teren recente, proiecte de arheologie de salvare si alte surse dificil de accesat din afara Spaniei si Portugaliei.

Cartea este impartita in trei sectiuni. Capitolul 1 situeaza subiectul in bursa si ofera o introducere in apeductele romane in general, dar cu o atentie principala asupra dovezilor din Peninsula Iberica. Al doilea capitol analizeaza rolul jucat de apeductele in zonele urbane, precum si fazele tipice de utilizare si abandonare prin care au traversat apeductele mari. In cele din urma, capitolul 3 – cea mai mare parte a volumului – este un catalog de 66 de apeducte din intreaga Spanie si Portugalia, inclusiv insula Ibiza. Cartea se incheie cu o serie de apendice care prezinta informatii furnizate in catalog in perspectiva comparativa. Textul este disponibil in versiuni PDF, tiparite si online. Recomand versiunea online, care ajuta cititorul sa foloseasca textul la capacitatea sa maxima ca instrument interactiv de cercetare.

Capitolul 1 serveste ca o scurta privire de ansamblu asupra istoriei burselor privind apeductele din Peninsula Iberica, a metodelor de studiere a acestora, precum si a ingineriei din spatele constructiei acestora. Prima parte a capitolului introduce diferite metode din arheologie, inginerie si istorie, cu sectiuni scurte pe fiecare care este putin probabil sa fie de mare utilitate pentru specialisti. Cu toate acestea, avand in vedere audienta larga destinata a cartii, capitolul este util in masura in care introduce novice intr-o gama larga de metodologii specifice disciplinei care ii vor ajuta sa inteleaga mai bine terminologia folosita si detalierea prezentata mai tarziu. Sunt incluse, de exemplu, discutii despre tehnici de datare relative si absolute, formulele matematice pentru calculul vitezei si volumului apei,

A doua parte a capitolului 1 se refera la ingineria apeductelor in sine si la diferitele lor functii. Autorii prezinta detalii din cartea 8 din Vitruvius „ De Architectura si Frontinus” De Aquaeductuprecum si dovezi arheologice din intreaga Peninsula Iberica, cu comparatii ocazionale cu apeductele notabile din alte provincii romane si orasul Roma. Acestia fac o munca laudabila de a demonstra modul in care probele arheologice din Iberia difera si se conformeaza asteptarilor expuse in textele antice. De exemplu, Vitruvius (8.6) descrie doar trei tipuri de canale: canale construite, conducte de plumb si conducte de lut. Cu toate acestea, din probele materiale se cunosc mai multe soiuri: atat tevile de piatra, cat si cele de lemn au fost descoperite din contextele arheologice din Iberia (primele din Cadiz si Singilia Barba din Malaga si cele din urma din Los Banales din Zaragoza). Capitolul se incheie cu un scurt rezumat al diferitelor utilizari ale apei dincolo de baut: pentru baile publice si divertisment, canalizare si curatare, industria urbana, si scopuri simbolice. Aceasta a doua jumatate a capitolului 1 va interesa arheologii specializati in gestionarea si constructia apei romane pentru detaliile sale meticuloase si pentru prezentarea dovezilor putin cunoscute in afara Iberiei. Pentru cei care vad o viziune generala asupra apeductelor romane sau comentarii asupra surselor antice, alte carti vor servi in continuare mai bine acestor scopuri.1.

In capitolul 2, „Acueductele in context”, autorii dezvolta diverse roluri functionale si simbolice pe care trebuiau sa le joace apeductele in orasele romane. Acestea detaliaza modul in care constructia, intretinerea si reparatia si abandonul final al apeductelor s-au impletit cu istoria pe termen lung a locurilor urbane din Iberia. Argumentul central al autorilor este acela ca apeductele nu erau componente esentiale ale oraselor romane (la fel cum nu toate orasele aveau teatre), dar ca intelegerea modului si a motivului pentru care au fost construite si intretinute pot lumina procesele de dezvoltare urbana. De exemplu, unele orase – cum ar fi Carmona si Clunia – aveau suficiente rezervoare si puturi pentru a alimenta populatia si nu au necesitat niciodata apeducte. Alte orase au inceput cu sisteme de aprovizionare mai simple, dar au adaugat apeducte pentru a putea aproviziona noi cartiere (de exemplu, Cordoba), monumente publice, cum ar fi fantani si bai (de exemplu, Italica) sau cartiere industriale (de exemplu, Baelo Claudia si Olisipo). Unele apeducte, in schimb, par sa fi fost construite ca acte locale de euretism sau cand au devenit oraselemunicipia si mentinuta ca punct de mandrie, chiar si atunci cand alta apa era usor accesibila. Acesta aparent a fost cazul cu celebrul apeduct din Segovia, care a fost construit intr-o locatie cu izvoare naturale si rezervoare abundente (p. 72). Intrucat apeductele sunt adesea considerate ca o parte tipica a monumentalizarii romane si a urbanizarii in provincii, acest capitol este o amintire binevenita a cat de variate si individuale pot fi istoriile urbane.

The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of the abandonment of aqueducts: while about a quarter were still in use in the 5th century, this number declined steadily in the following centuries. The main exception to this pattern is the aqueduct at Reccopolis, newly constructed as a part of the Visigothic city in 578 AD. The authors bring up an interesting question that is ultimately not possible to answer given the variable quality of extant data: how does the abandonment of aqueducts in Iberia differ relative to other parts of the Roman Empire, like Gaul or Italy, which had vastly different political trajectories between 300 and 700 AD? In the case of Iberia, they argue, financing and specialized labor for aqueduct maintenance was no longer readily available (only four were in use at the time of the Umayyad conquest of Iberia in 711; p. 77). People in many cities adapted by altering the footprint of cities and increasing the use of wells and cisterns for water supply, while surviving aqueducts were privatized to serve Umayyad palaces and private estates.

Chapter 3 is a detailed catalog of 66 aqueducts organized geographically by the Roman provincial territories of Tarraconensis, Baetica, Lusitania, and Gallaecia, with further subdivisions by conventus. While certainly many more aqueducts are known than this, only aqueducts serving urban centers and for which there is material evidence are included. This means that aqueducts used in rural industries—such as agriculture and mining—are omitted, as are urban aqueducts that must have existed but have not yet been found (the authors cite Pollentia as one such example, p. 87). Each entry is presented uniformly to facilitate comparison and general usability. Most entries include the dates of construction and abandonment, as well as references to specific evidence that corroborates the dating. Next is a presentation of the technical elements of each aqueduct (e.g., slope, volume of water flow, and construction techniques and materials). The entries also include—whenever possible—a map, photos and/or drawings, a description of the path of the aqueduct, and, finally, a list of written sources (ancient and modern). The maps are especially well produced, clearly depicting the known and hypothesized routes of aqueducts, their relationship to cities, and their placement with respect to the topography of the wider landscape. Usefully, photographs of many examples are displayed in full color, often showing sections of aqueducts in the process of excavation or close-up shots taken by the authors.

The appendix provides elegant visualizations of the data in the catalog in comparative perspective, making it easier to contextualize and access this information. Bar graphs present a range of topics, including the periods of use and abandonment, relative lengths, relative capacity in volume, and relative heights of different aqueducts. The reader can see readily, for instance, that the aqueduct at Cadiz was the longest at 75 km, while the aqueduct at Toletum was the tallest at an estimated 40 m in height.

Prior to the publication of this work, Acueductos Romanos en Espana served as the standard text on the topic. The first edition was produced in 1972 from a series of six articles by Carlos Fernandez Casado in the journal Informes de la Construccion.2 Because of its unusual origin, the book did not have a clear table of contents or even page numbers until it was reissued in 2008.3 Though encyclopedic at the time of its initial publication, its scope is limited in comparison to the book under review. The focus is on the territory of modern peninsular Spain only; Portugal and the Balearic Islands are omitted. Maps, drawings, and photographs, while of historical interest, are now outdated. Finally, because Fernandez Casado was an engineer rather than an archaeologist, his primary focus is on the engineering rather than the life histories or wider contexts of aqueducts.

In light of the limitations of previous work, this new book is a welcome addition to research on Roman aqueducts in Iberia: it presents updated, detailed evidence on aqueducts in urban contexts in a readable, well-illustrated format, accompanied by a thoughtful discussion. I do lament that, although the publication venue of the book does make it widely accessible, it is inevitably more likely to be read by Spanish speakers with interests in the history of technology and engineering than by classical archaeologists, classicists, or historians.4 I hope this review will serve, at least, to make more people aware that the volume exists as a useful resource. Indeed, more open access books and catalogs that present little-known or difficult to find evidence would help facilitate comparative research across the Roman Empire. Los acueductos de Hispania: construccion y abandono should be of value to anyone who studies water management and urban infrastructure, Roman technology and engineering, as well as the history and archaeology of Hispania and of the Roman provinces in general.

Notes:

E.g., Hodge, A.T. 2002. Roman Aqueducts and Water Supply. 2nd ed. Bristol: Bristol Classical Press (Duckworth Archaeology); Rodgers, R.H. 2004. Frontinus. De Aquaeductu Urbis Romae. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; Rowland, I.D., and T.N. Howe. 1999. Vitruvius. Ten Books on Architecture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

2. Fernandez Casado, C. 1972. Acueductos Romanos en Espana. Madrid: Instituto Eduardo Toroja.

3. Fernandez Casado, C. 2008. Acueductos Romanos en Espana. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas.

4. This is especially true because many of the other volumes in the series deal with topics related to Spain’s industrial heritage and engineering in later epochs rather than in antiquity (see Fundacion Juanelo Turriano) and because this title does not seem to appear on most university library databases in the US.

Bryn Mawr Classical Review: 2018.11.26

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