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Water Supply Systems at the Acropolis
Pipes and cisterns installed by Peisistratus at the Acropolis for the supply of fresh water in Athens. 6th century BCE.
Definition
Qanat
The qanat (called foggara in North Africa and the Levant, falaj in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, kariz in Iran, and puquios in Peru) is an ancient Middle Eastern irrigation technique in which a long tunnel is dug into arid land that...
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Old Woman's Water and the Buffalo Cap
Old Woman's Water and the Buffalo Cap is a Cheyenne tale of the two great culture heroes Standing-on-the-Ground and Sweet Medicine and how they brought back the buffalo to the people and established the tradition of the sacred buffalo hat...
Definition
Valley Forge
Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army from 19 December 1777 until 18 June 1778, during one of the most difficult winters of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Despite being undersupplied, underfed, and plagued...
Definition
Aqueduct
Aqueducts transport water from one place to another, achieving a regular and controlled supply to a place that would not otherwise receive sufficient quantities. Consequently, aqueducts met basic needs from antiquity onwards such as the irrigation...
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Medieval Hygiene
People in the Middle Ages have acquired something of a bad reputation when it comes to cleanliness, especially the peasantry. However, despite the general lack of running water and other modern amenities, there were common expectations of...
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Arkwright's Water Frame
An example of a water frame (a machine for spinning cotton) as invented by Richard Arkwright in Nottinghamshire in 1769. It was powered by a water wheel and increased the speed that yarn could be spun. (Science Museum, London)
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Roman Engineering
The Romans are known for their remarkable engineering feats, be they roads, bridges, tunnels, or their impressive aqueducts. Their constructions, many of them still standing, are a testament to their superior engineering skills and ingenuity...
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Ground Water Filter, Empuries
A terracotta ground water filter, in situ. 3rd century BCE, Greek Empuries (Emporion or Emporiae), Spain.
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The Woman and the Monster
The Woman and the Monster is a legend of the Arapaho nation about a woman who, seeming to drown in a river, is transported to the realm of an elemental water spirit who teaches her the proper way for her people to honor him and, in so doing...