What is it about?
Constantinople and Thessaloniki were the two largest cities in the Byzantine empire and for both water was channeled through extensive systems of aqueducts and cisterns. The hydraulic infrastructure evolved over time but was able to sustain larger populations into the later middle ages.
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Photo by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash
Why is it important?
In the public perception the Byzantine empire is still seen in the context of Roman decline. Instead a study of the water supply and infrastructure reveals how Constantinople maintained Roman engineering traditions and developed new initiatives to sustain a major urban centre throughout much of the middle ages. The study also questions single explanations for change, recognising instead how a range of strategies were evolved to meet changing environmental and other challenges.
Perspectives
I hope this article reveals how past urban societies rose to the challenges posed by environmental and political change. It also situates the major Byzantine cities as innovative and successful urban environments in comparison with their Western Christian and Islamic contemporaries.
James Crow
University of Edinburgh
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Water and the Urban Environment of Constantinople and Thessaloniki, February 2024, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004689350_010.
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