The Urban Water Supply and Distribution System of the Ionian City of Ephesos in the Roman Imperial Period

ISSN： 0305-4403

Source： Journal of Archaeological Science, Vol.28, Iss.8, 2001-08, pp. : 843-860

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Abstract

Within the ancient Ionian city of Ephesos on the western coast of modern Turkey, monumental buildings and remnants of the urban water supply system survive from archaic, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine times. At least four major aqueducts supplied the city and an elaborate system of terracotta piping, supplemented by stone and lead pipes, distributed water to the many public and private buildings, baths, fountains, stadium, theatre, temples, agoras and both single- and multiple-unit housing. An equally elaborate drainage network of open and covered channels collected wastewater, rain runoff, and drainage water from the site for deposit into the nearby bay. Even before the aqueducts were built, springs within the urban area were tapped to supply local areas.The present study of the complex distribution network of supply and drainage channels yields a new map of these systems within Ephesos and details of the hydraulic functioning of the systems. With hydraulic analysis and computational fluid mechanics methods, design features of the piping system are examined to extract information about hydraulics and civil engineering knowledge available to the Roman builders for the design and construction of urban water systems. Many Roman urban water system designs show knowledge of hydraulic design principles and methods to overcome technical challenges.