Page 15 - Urban water supply handbook

URBAN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

1.14 HISTORY, PLANNING, OUTSOURCING

FIGURE 1.9 Terra-cotta pipes found in Ephesus, Turkey. (Photo by Koksal B. Celik)

Hellenistic period provided a new technical expertise. Hellenistic aqueducts usu-
ally used pipes, as compared to the Roman masonry conduit. The Hellenistic peo-
ple did not have the Roman’s engineering skill especially in the use of the arch and
the building of aqueduct bridges. Greek and Hellenistic aqueducts generally fol-
lowed the contours of the land, without using any major engineering structures.
The one exception was the use of the siphon, which was the method used by the
Hellenists to convey water across valleys. Locations of siphons included Ephesus,
Methumna, Laodicea (see the parallel siphons in Fig. 1.10), Pergamon, and many
others. There are difficulties in dating these siphons, but they may be of the early
Roman or Hellenistic period and obviously provided models for the later Roman
work. Hellenistic pipelines were built of stone (see Fig. 1.11) or terra-cotta (see
Fig. 1.9) whereas the Romans used pipes made of lead (see Fig. 1.12).

Acropolis. The Acropolis at Athens, Greece, had been the focus of settlement
starting with the earliest times. Not only its defensive capabilities, but also its
water supply, made it the logical location for groups who dominated the region.
The Acropolis is located on a rock outcropping and has naturally occurring water.
This and the ability of its inhabitants to save rain and spring water resulted in a
number of diverse water sources being available, including cisterns, wells, and
springs. Figure 1.13 shows the shaft of one of the archaic water holders.

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