Water History - Call for Papers: Engineering Analysis of Ancient Water Systems

How much water was available from ancient hydraulic systems, and how was it managed? This special issue of Water History will focus on water demand, use, and management in the ancient world. Contributions are invited that advance knowledge of the quantities of water supplied or drained, the technical aspects of the structures and devices used to regulate water in space and time, and the decisions made in designing and operating water systems. In particular, we seek to explore the changes in water quantities over days, seasons, and centuries, corresponding to times of stress such as sieges, droughts and floods, to changes in climate, or to societal development. We welcome contributions of research articles that build upon quantitative engineering analysis and interlink it with other scientific, technical, and historical studies.

Guest Editors

Prof. Martin Crapper is Professor of Civil Engineering at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. With a long background in civil engineering hydraulics, both in industry and academia, he has sought to understand civil engineering heritage, using modern techniques to interpret the achievements of the past. He was co-investigator on the Leverhulme-funded project Engineering the Byzantine Water Supply and on the British Academy Project Water in Istanbul and has published widely on the operation of Roman water systems.

Dr. Maria Monteleone is a post-doctoral research fellow at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Drawing from her background in hydraulic engineering, water and wastewater treatment, she has for many years contributed to the research on ancient Roman water systems and recently has investigated the supply to public and private fountains in Pompeii.

For questions about the theme of issue or the potential fit of your article, contact Prof. Crapper at Martin.Crapper@northumbria.ac.uk (this opens in a new tab)

How to submit

Manuscripts should be original and written in English. The suggested length per article is up to 10,000 words, excluding references. Submission requires that the manuscript has not been submitted for review or publication elsewhere and that it will not be submitted elsewhere while the review process is underway. All papers go through external peer review by at least two experts. Papers should be submitted online via this link. (this opens in a new tab)

Details about the preparation of the manuscript can be obtained from the journal's webpage at https://www.springer.com/journal/12685/submission-guidelines. (this opens in a new tab)

Please indicate that your manuscript belongs to the “Engineering Analysis of Ancient Water Systems” special issue in the “Additional Information” tab during the submission process. When you submit, there is a “choose editor” or “preferred editor” option—please select Martin Crapper.