Historical development of technologies for water resources management and rainwater harvesting in the Hellenic civilizations

Abstract

The shortage of water in ancient Greek civilizations necessitated various collection methods and storage cisterns. In fact, rainwater harvesting dates back to Minoan times, ca. 3200–1100 BC. Since then, several types of cisterns have evolved, while a significant development appears to have occurred throughout Hellas during the Hellenistic period. In addition to the Hellenistic period, the succeeding Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman periods are discussed. Within this context, a few examples relating to characteristics of Hellenistic cisterns, conveying illustrations of the development of technology during those historical periods, are included.