Project description DEENESFRITPL Ancient aqueducts reveal environmental past Natural archives are crucial for understanding past environmental alterations and predicting future changes and their effects. Yet these archives are not connected with evidence for human settlement, which prevents research on the impacts of extreme natural events on urbanisation, society and economy. New archives near ancient urban centres in the Mediterranean threatened by drought and desertification will enrich our knowledge of past environmental changes and their effect on local society and economy. The EU-funded AQUEA project will focus on the Roman period, pioneering the use of calcium carbonate deposits from Roman aqueducts as a new high-resolution archive that delivers environmental and archaeological data for the area. This geoarchaeological study will focus on three aqueduct sites in southern France to investigate palaeoenvironmental changes in local water management, urbanisation and economy through infrastructure, texts, and archaeological databases. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Natural archives such as travertine, speleothems and tree-rings are used to understand past environmental changes and to predict effects of future changes. However, such archives lack a direct link with civilization centres where changes in socio-economy and urbanization, particularly in respond to extreme natural events, can be investigated. New archives are needed near ancient urban centres, especially for the Mediterranean with the threat of droughts and desertification. AQUEA presents calcium carbonate deposits from Roman aqueducts as a new high-resolution archive to obtain both environmental and archaeological data for the Mediterranean in the Roman period. AQUEA will be hosted at Oxford University at two departments: the School of Archaeology and Earth Sciences. AQUEA will use samples of carbonate from three aqueduct sites in Southern France; Nîmes, Arles and Bellegarde, to study palaeoenvironmental changes besides local water management, urbanization and economy during the Imperial Roman period: this requires interdisciplinary collaboration of archaeologists and natural scientists. Therefore, the ER will be supervised by specialists in Roman archaeology, particularly on water management and Roman economy, and in palaeoenvironmental proxy analysis. Archaeological investigations include: interpretation of water structures and their context; use of textual sources on ancient environment, economy and water management; the use of archaeological databases, notably on Roman economy; and the relation of carbonate formation to various structural elements. Research in aqueduct carbonates will apply existing techniques and novel approaches such as Calcium isotopes and use of the CaveCalc numerical forward-modelling program, to better interpret analytical results in terms of ancient environment and Roman land use. AQUEA will address questions on a local scale on changing Roman climate, its implications on Roman economy, urban development and societal changes. Fields of science natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryinorganic compoundsnatural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryalkaline earth metalshumanitieshistory and archaeologyarchaeologynatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesgeologygeomorphologyspeleologyengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringnatural resources managementwater management Keywords Roman urbanization Roman cities ancient water management Roman economy archaeology climate change palaeoenvironmental reconstruction carbonate geochemistry Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2019 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2019 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD Net EU contribution € 212 933,76 Address WELLINGTON SQUARE UNIVERSITY OFFICES OX1 2JD Oxford United Kingdom See on map Region South East (England) Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Oxfordshire Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 212 933,76
