The History of Water Management in the Iberian Peninsula

This volume approaches the history of water in the Iberian Peninsula in a novel way, by linking it to the ongoing international debate on water crisis and solutions to overcome the lack of water in the Mediterranean.

What water devices were found? What were the models for these devices? How were they distributed in the villas and monastic enclosures? What impact did hydraulic theoretical knowledge have on these water systems, and how could these systems impact on hydraulic technology? Guided by these questions, this book covers the history of water in the most significant cities, the role of water in landscape transformation, the irrigation systems and water devices in gardens and villas, and, lastly, the theoretical and educational background on water management and hydraulics in the Iberian Peninsula between the sixteenth and the nineteenth centuries.

Historiography on water management in the territory that is today Spain has highlighted the region's role as a mediator between the Islamic masters of water and the Christian world. The history of water in Portugal is less known, and it has been taken for granted that is similar to its neighbour. This book compares two countries that have the same historical roots and, therefore, many similar stories, but at the same time, offers insights into particular aspects of each country.

It is recommended for scholars and researchers interested in any field of history of the early modern period and of the nineteenth century, as well as general readers interested in studies on the Iberian Peninsula, since it was the role model for many settlements in South America, Asia and Africa.

Contenu

The Thirsty but Educated Iberian Peninsula. As a Means of Introduction.- The Water Supply and Sewage Networks in Sixteenth-century Lisbon: Drawing the Renaissance City.- Toledo: The Thirsty City.- Water Supply Management in Seville, 1248-1800.- Water for Madrid: The Problems of Water Supply in a Pre-Industrial Capital.- Thirsting for Efficiency: Technological and Transaction-Cost Explanations for the Municipalisation of Water Supply.- Engineering, Geology and the Water Supply to Lisbon in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century. Expertise and Innovation.- Technology of Grandeur: Early Modern Aqueducts in Portugal.- Dams in the Renaissance Gardens of the Iberian Peninsula.- Water Communities on the Northern Slopes of the Guadarrama Mountain Range.- Landscape and Water Heritage in Mountainous Areas: From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, from Northern Portugal to Southern Morocco.- The Technical and Social Scope of Irrigation in the Algarve.- The Aesthetical Application of Water in Iberian Gardens.- Aranjuez and Hydraulic Engineering: Public Utility, Leisure Utility.- The Water that Passes through Alcoa & Baça: The Hydraulic System of the Monastery of Alcobaça.- Noras, Norias and Technology-of-Use.- Beyond Stevin and Galileo: Seventeenth-century Hydrostatics in the Jesuit Class of the Sphere.- The Making of a Hydraulics Expert: Estevão Dias Cabral (1734-1811).