Yaman Bayram
Program in Mediterranean Art and Archaeology
Department of Art

The restoration of water supply systems is critical for societal sustainability following catastrophic events such as earthquakes. This presentation reports on work in progress that investigates how Byzantine societies responded to seismic shocks by repairing, adapting, or reconstructing aqueducts, cisterns, and related infrastructures. Water sustained multiple domains of life--domestic, industrial, and public--and its disruption posed risks to both urban survival and the stability of authority. The central questions are: What was at risk, for whom, and who bore responsibility for restoration? By situating water systems within legal, administrative, and social frameworks, the study examines the roles of imperial institutions, local authorities, and technical personnel in disaster response, with the longer-term aim of informing present-day municipal and state water management practices.

Image credit: Crow, Jim. 2023. “‘The City Thirsts’: Water in Istanbul: Past, Present, and Future.” The Past, January 18. Link.