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WiSe 20/21: Between Drought and Flood: Water and Water Management in the Ancient World

Susan Pollock

Zusätzl. Angaben / Voraussetzungen

Language of instruction: English

Kommentar

Water is an essential basis of life. We needed to drink, for watering animals, for cultivation, for construction purposes, for craft activities and more. Because of its essential status, human societies are invariably concerned with ensuring access to adequate, potable water. In the semi-arid regions of western Asia, as well as in many other parts of the world, this has led to the development of a myriad of water-management technologies. While the acquisition of adequate supplies of water is of prime importance, the removal of excess water – as a result of flooding or in the form of waste water – is often also a source of concern. In addition, waterways often play a significant role in transportation. But water is not simply a functional element of life: it is often associated with ritual, with the supernatural, it is assigned varied symbolic associations, it is understood to establish connections, both metaphorically and physically. In this seminar we will explore these varied aspects of water and water management. The focus will be on case studies from western Asia, with additional examples from central Asia and the Mediterranean regions, depending on student interest. Schließen

Literaturhinweise

- Adams, Robert McC. 1981. Heartland of Cities. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. - Edgeworth, Matt. 2011. Fluid Pasts: Archaeology of Flow. Bristol: Bristol Classical Press. - George Andrew R. 2015. On Babylonian Lavatories and Sewers. Iraq 77: 75-106. - Harmanshah, Ömür, ed. 2014. Of Rocks and Water: Towards an Archaeology of Place. Oxford: Oxbow. - Holt, Emily, ed. 2018. Water and Power in Past Societies. Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology. Buffalo, NY: State University of New York Press. - Klimscha, Florian, Ricardo Eichmann, Christof Schuler & Henning Fahlbusch, eds. 2012. Wasserwirtschaftliche Innovationen im archäologischen Kontext. Von den prähistorischen Anfängen bis zu den Metropolen der Antike. Rahden/Westf.: Leidorf. - Mithen, Steven and Emily Black, eds. 2011. Water, Life and Civilisation Climate, Environment and Society in the Jordan Valley. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Schließen