Panel 2.7 – River valleys and regional economies


Organisation/Vorsitz:

  • Andreas Vött (Universität Mainz)

Paper abstracts

1. Romel Ghrib (Department of Antiquities)

Study of Ancient Economy around Zarqa River in Jordan
This study investigate the economy for the ancient world's in Zarqa river in middle of Jordan. An archeological excavations and surveys determined that, people were hunters and food gatherers. However, an upgrading of human settle pattern happened to be as agricultural villages as (Ein Ghazal site). A revolution of tools and usage by copper discovery took place as in (Tulailat AlGhasoul site), while water harvesting and defense fortification appeared clearly at (Al-Batrawi site). Through bronze age, Jordan was divided into three kingdoms: Edoms, Moabs and Ammonites, settlement continued through the Classical periods till Islamic. In Zarqa governorate an evidences shows the existence of permanent settlements and complete cities included thousands of population due to Zarqa river banks such as: Jabal Al-Qurma, Jabal al-Mutawwaq and Khirbet Al-Russaifa. The result of this study a proof of documented settlement and flourishing economy in those sites within mentioned period.

 

2. Desirè Di Giuliomaria (University of Bonn)

Walking along the Ilissos River
The Ilissos valley has always been one of the most fascinating place in Athens, because of the several cults and myths that the ancient literature refers and archaeological data, most of the time, confirm. The present study started from two main questions: How did the areas around the Ilissos river change during the time and how much the abundance or scarcity of water influenced those changing processes. Considering a range of historical time (6th c. BC-8h c. AD), the Ilissos valley has been inhabited at least from Classical to Byzantine period. Therefore, it went through many changes of purposes: from one of most ancient cult place (Thuc. II 15, 3-6), to a residential area (Is. VIII 35) until when it became an operating centre of ceramic and metal production, supplying the entire city. Actually, an inscription reused in Plaka -and probably coming not so far from the Ilissos’ banks- testifies a leather workshop nearby the river around the second half of 5th c. BC (IG I3 257). Workshops along watercourses should exist since Classical period, as some evidences along the Eridanos river and into the Classical Agora prove. Thanks to the Eforia of Athens, I had the possibility to study the notebooks of the campaigns led by I. Threpsiadis and J. Travlos around 1960s: thus, I could explore every phase that they came across and how changed the topography of the entire area. My study is still at the beginning and I hope that the new data will stimulate a fervid debate.

"Walking along the Ilissos River" (Fulltext)

 

3. Annapaola Mosca (Università di Roma "La Sapienza")

An ancient landscape shaped by the river: the impact of the Adige at the base of the Alps. A new research perspective
The goal of this study is to analyze the impact of the upper section of the Adige North of Verona on the ancient landscape and the economy with a focus on the Roman age. The river, despite the fact that it could not be navigable at different times of the year, has been used since protohistorical era for the transport of goods from the port of Adria. Many data suggest that in Roman age the Adige could be more easily connected via a network of channels to other Adriatic ports. But so far it had never been proven how the Adige influenced the organization of the settlement and the productive landscape of the district. If we examine the distribution of Roman sites placed in the Adige Valley, it is clear that the presence of marshes and the danger of damage caused by floods forced the choice of conoids as settlement sites. Some settlement is necessarily rebuilt, due to its position closely connected with the river, in the same place as pre-Roman settlement, so we can assume there were berths along the river. Other Roman settlements were organized on the hillsides, where agriculture could be practiced. The production sites were placed near the streams entering the Adige. The water of these streams was used in productive activities and the Adige itself could contribute to the diffusion of the products. We know the circulation of tiles but also of other manifacturated goods and of stones. Definitely the river forced people to have a close relationship with water.

"An ancient landscape shaped by the river: the impact of the Adige at the base of the Alps. A new research perspective" (Fulltext)

 

4. Ilaria Serchia, Giulia Rebonato und Anna Rita Marchi (Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di Parma e Piacenza)

The impact of the Parma creek floods on urban and economic development of Roman Parma in light of recent findings from "via del Conservatorio" archaeological excavations
The archaeological excavation of a large urban area of the Roman city of Parma (“via del Conservatorio” construction site), just a few meters from the omonymous creek, allowed the stratigraphic investigation of several alluvial events.
The proximity to the Parma creek influenced growth, development and involution of this area since the Iron Age. During Republican age, through the construction of the town walls and the putting in place of containment mixed systems, the creek was regimented and exploited for different craft activities. With the re-establishment of the colony, during the Augustan age, the area was completely rebuilt through the construction of at least two domus. At the same times, a complex hydraulic system was realized and connected to the creek through a series of exhaust ducts serving the domus. Throughout the imperial era, at least until the 3rd century AD, a series of alluvial events occurred that caused the partial flooding of the town, and considerable damage to structures and infrastructures that were nevertheless restored. Until the Late Antiquity, when the excavations document the evidence of a strong flood that led the creek to move toward the town and caused the consequent need of constructing new walls to bar the creek itself and which, de facto, came to shrink the urban perimeter. During the second half of the 12th century another strong flood caused a further displacement of the watercourse into the bed within which it still flows nowadays.

"The impact of the Parma creek floods on urban and economic development of Roman Parma in light of recent findings from "via del Conservatorio" archaeological excavations" (Fulltext)