Water is one of the most benign, and destructive, powers in the lives of all people, in particular in semi-arid and arid areas such as the Near East. This book provides an alternative way of thinking about the Roman Near East by exploring how its inhabitants managed and lived with their water supplies, especially in the wake of the Roman conquest. It looks at water in all areas of human life from irrigation systems for farming to aqueducts providing water for bathhouses in cities to how water was used in the home.

The book is structured around a series of themes that will be of interest not only to those interested in the Roman world, but also to those who think about water from geographical, hydrological and anthropological perspectives. These themes include Roman Imperialism, Roman economy, change and transformation in Late Antiquity, and the role of religion. The overarching theme is understanding attitudes towards water and water use, exploring in particular what constrained or enabled the changing behaviours of those living in the Roman Near East.