Management of fluvio-coastal dynamics in the Tiber delta during the Roman period: using an integrated waterways system to cope with environmental challenges at Ostia and Portus - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Water History Année : 2023

Management of fluvio-coastal dynamics in the Tiber delta during the Roman period: using an integrated waterways system to cope with environmental challenges at Ostia and Portus

Résumé

The modern Tiber delta includes two river mouths flowing into the Tyrrhenian sea, the Fiumara to the South and the Fiumicino to the North. While the Fiumara is a natural channel, the Fiumicino is a canal that was excavated during the Roman period. Two major Roman archaeological sites are associated with these two watercourses: Ostia, founded between the 4th and the 3rd c. BCE, built at the mouth of the Fiumara; and Portus, founded in the 1st c. CE, built with a series of canals including the Fiumicino (Fossa Traiana), three kilometres north of Ostia. In this paper we shall explore strategies used by the Romans on these two sites to manage river mouth environments, which were characterised by high fluvial sedimentation inputs and rapid fluvio-coastal mobility. We will observe possible urban adjustments to natural constraints at Ostia, and demonstrate how Portus was, building on the experience from Ostia, from its inception designed to reduce fluvial sedimentation in the harbour basins and to lower lateral mobility of the canals. Finally, we will propose the existence of an integrated management system for the watercourses at Portus and Ostia in the Imperial period.
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hal-04097434 , version 1 (04-01-2024)

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Ferréol Salomon, Kristian Strutt, Dragana Mladenović, Jean-Philippe Goiran, Simon Keay. Management of fluvio-coastal dynamics in the Tiber delta during the Roman period: using an integrated waterways system to cope with environmental challenges at Ostia and Portus. Water History, 2023, 15, pp.105-123. ⟨10.1007/s12685-023-00324-3⟩. ⟨hal-04097434⟩
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