QANATS IN THE LEVANT: HYDRAULIC TECHNOLOGY AT THE PERIPHERY OF EARLY EMPIRES

摘要

On the east side of the Jordan Valley during the Roman and Byzantine periods, dynamic populations pushed out into marginal lands where no permanent, sedentary civilizations preceded or followed them, doubling the population of many sites in the area compared to the pre-Roman era. In this marginal, summer-dry Mediterranean land, the concern for water supply is pervasive, especially in the steppe or desert land of the Levant, where the presence and possession of water were decisive for life and death. During the Roman-Byzantine period, as at present, the development of surface water resources was primarily emphasized, but an attempt also was made to develop groundwater resources by constructing wells, spring tunnels, and qanats.