Water and Sanitation Management in the Mediterranean

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Water and Sanitation Management in the Mediterranean " at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

As research into daily life, especially in lower status households, has increased in Mediterranean archaeology, focus on water and sanitation systems has developed more interest. The basic questions of how to manage waste and provide drinking water are human universals. In the Mediterranean this was answered with impressive engineering works to transport water from reliable sources, as well as to provide pressurized water for increasingly elaborate display features such as baths and fountains. In this session, we will examine recent advances that combine GIS and modern engineering with archaeological survey. Several of the papers to be presented are the result of collaborative research between Wright Paleohydrological Institute and the Pompeii Water and Sanitation Field School. Paper topics will include GIS analyses, explore the socioeconomic importance of displaying water features, trace Roman aqueducts, and compare of water fountains in the Bay of Naples.