Aqueducts and water supply in the towns of post-Roman Spain (AD 400-1000)
Despite the recent interest in late antique archaeology and the increasing number of publications on the transformations of towns (both in Spain and in the Roman world as a whole), the concern shown towards aqueducts has been almost non-existent. Some studies have focused on exceptional local examples, such as Rome or Constantinople, but there have been neither general nor regional syntheses of the chronology of the abandonment of aqueducts on a broad regional scale. This thesis consequently fills this gap in our knowledge by offering an all-encompassing study and compilation of the available material and written evidence for aqueducts in Spain in Late Antiquity, it looks at aqueducts in the late Roman period, and how they evolve through the Visigothic and the Umayyad centuries. For this purpose, each aqueduct in the Iberian Peninsula is assessed according to the available information and studied in its wider urban context. By the end of the thesis it is possible to put forward some clear results on the degree of continuity of aqueducts in Spain. The information is used to analyse how the presence or absence of aqueducts affected the development of urban settlement and housing patterns away from a traditional
MartĂ­nez JimĂ©nez, Javier
Archeology ; Islamic archaeology ; Roman archeology ; Late antiquity and the Middle Ages ; Visigothic Spain ; Roman Spain ; Umayyad Spain ; aqueducts ; water supply ; Roman urbanism
Aqueducts and water supply in the towns of post-Roman Spain (AD 400-1000). Despite the recent interest in late antique archaeology and the increasing number of publications on the transformations of towns (both in Spain and in the Roman world as a whole), the concern shown towards aqueducts has been almost non-existent. Some studies have focused on exceptional local examples, such as Rome or Constantinople, but there have been neither general nor regional syntheses of the chronology of the abandonment of aqueducts on a broad regional scale. This thesis consequently fills this gap in our knowledge by offering an all-encompassing study and compilation of the available material and written evidence for aqueducts in Spain in Late Antiquity, it looks at aqueducts in the late Roman period, and how they evolve through the Visigothic and the Umayyad centuries. For this purpose, each aqueduct in the Iberian Peninsula is assessed according to the available information and studied in its wider urban context. By the end of the thesis it is possible to put forward some clear results on the degree of continuity of aqueducts in Spain. The information is used to analyse how the presence or absence of aqueducts affected the development of urban settlement and housing patterns away from a traditional
water_supply town post roman spain despite_recent interest late_antique archaeology increase_number publication transformation town spain roman_world whole concern show towards almost non_existent study_focus exceptional local example rome constantinople neither general regional synthesis chronology abandonment aqueduct broad_regional scale consequently fill_gap knowledge offer all encompassing study compilation available_material write evidence aqueduct spain late_antiquity look aqueduct late_roman_period evolve purpose aqueduct iberian_peninsula assess accord available information study wide urban_context end possible put_forward clear degree_continuity spain information use analyse presence_absence aqueduct affect_development urban_settlement housing pattern away traditional