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Water supply associated with the development of the city of Athens from the hellenistic era until the end of the 19th century

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Abstract

The heyday of Athens in the fifth century was followed by the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), the defeat of the Athenians and the death of the great visionary Pericles. The powerful city of Athens lost its glamor. From 338 BC, the city is under the rule of the Macedonians and, after the conquest of the city by Sulla, Athens finally passes to the Romans. The Romans awarded Athens a special autonomy status and because of this the city did not lose its cultural glamor. The biggest benefactor of Athens at the time was the emperor Hadrian who extended the city by 2200 acres to the west and built numerous splendid buildings throughout the city, among them the amazing Hadrianic aqueduct which supplied water to Athens for more than 1800 years. In the seventh to ninth centuries known as the ‘Dark Ages’, the area of the Attica Basin was still in decline and water was supplied from springs and wells. After Frankish, Catalan and Florentine occupations from 1204 to 1458, the city was occupied by the Ottomans until it regained its independence in 1830. During all those years, the water supply of Athens came from wells and springs and no significant water projects were undertaken until the end of the nineteenth century. This study presents the development of the water supply infrastructure of Athens and how it aligned with the growth of the city from the Hellenistic period until the beginning of the twentieth century. The study summarizes the research to date and offers new data in relation to the development of the water supply in Athens over the period covered.

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Notes

  1. IG II2, 360, lines 8–9; εν τη σπανοσιτία and IG II19932 line 11; σπάνεως[σίτου γενομένης]. For similar language in the literary sources, Aristotle, Oikonomika 1352a λιμού γενομένου εν τοις άλλοις τύποις σφόδρα.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dynamic Tectonic Applied Geology, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, 15784, Zografou, Greece

    M. Christaki & G. Stournaras

  2. Department of Geography and Climatology, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, 15784, Zografou, Greece

    P. T. Nastos

  3. Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 5, 15780, Zografou, Greece

    N. Mamassis

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  1. M. Christaki
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  2. G. Stournaras
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  4. N. Mamassis
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Correspondence to M. Christaki.

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Christaki, M., Stournaras, G., Nastos, P.T. et al. Water supply associated with the development of the city of Athens from the hellenistic era until the end of the 19th century. Water Hist 9, 389–410 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12685-017-0197-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12685-017-0197-y

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