Urban Water-Use Assessment in Pompeii: Using GIS to Examine Domestic and Industrial Contexts

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The water-supply system of Pompeii has long been a source of renewed interest for archaeologists and provides a unique opportunity to examine the urban environment and infrastructure of the Roman city in the years leading up to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. After an aqueduct was installed between 30-20 BC, water usage intensified throughout the site. This paper discusses the results of recent fieldwork and evaluates how water usage varied within different contexts at Pompeii. During the 2022 and 2024 field seasons, randomly selected samples of domestic and industrial properties were surveyed to identify how general access to water, and more specific commodities like piped water, were utilized in a variety of settings including public buildings, sanitation features, businesses, industrial workshops, and private homes. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) this paper discusses the patterns of water use that were identified and provides case studies to illustrate the implementation of different water-use strategies across the site as part of a broader, multi-scalar approach to understanding the impact of the Aqua Augusta aqueduct on everyday life in Pompeii and other nearby towns.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53790