Underground water transport systems for land management in the ancient word: from the Mediterranean regions to the near and middle east

When contemplating water resources of the past, in our mind’s eye we see images of important aqueducts and great cisterns, often enhanced by a splendid iconography. Nonetheless, we fail to consider that the ancient world had not only developed excellent technologies for collecting and channelling water, but had also created a body of law regulating its use. In this context, awareness of these specific concepts may prompt us to think seriously about the attention the ancients afforded this resource and about today’s increasing disinterest in the configuration of these hydraulic works. This disinterest is detrimental not only because it leads to the loss of the cultural heritage and recorded history of which the works are a part, but also because many still perform the functions for which they were designed and built.