Page 14 - Urban water supply handbook

URBAN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

URBAN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE 1.13

FIGURE 1.8 Water distribution pipe in Knossos, Crete, built around 2000 B.C. by the Minoans.
(Photo by Larry W. Mays and copyright by Larry W. Mays)

Unfortunately, around 1450 B.C. the Mycenean palace was destroyed by an earth-
quake and fire, as were all the palatial cities of Crete.

1.2.2 The Greeks

From the viewpoint of water supply in ancient Greece there are two periods before
the Hellenistic period, the archaic period and the classical period, during which
time nothing built could compare with the grandiosity of the Roman aqueducts.
The city of the archaic and classical Greek periods typically had a spring at its cen-
ter from which it grew, without any aqueducts, at least in comparison to what the
Romans built. Terra-cotta pipelines probably were the usual method of conveying
water during the classical Greek period. These terra-cotta pipes [20 to 25 cen-
timeters (cm) in diameter] fit into each other (see Fig. 1.9). Cities were served by
fountain(s) in central location(s) receiving water either from a local source or by
a conduit made of terra-cotta pipes. Pipes were laid along the bottom of trenches
or tunnels, allowing for both protection and access. Two or more pipes in parallel
were used depending upon the flow to be conveyed.
During the Hellenistic period the political and economic situation changed,
leading to much more architectural development and urban beautification, of
which aqueducts played a major role. The progress in science during the

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