The urban hydrology and hydraulic engineering at the classic maya site of Palenque

French, Kirk D.; Duffy, Christopher; Bhatt, G.

doi:10.1007/s12685-012-0069-4

Cited by 13 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Many ancient societies developed effective water management systems (Hassan, ; French, Duffy, & Bhatt, ; Waters & Ravesloot, ; Wilkinson et al., ). These irrigation networks often reflect the constraints of a particular fluvial environment (Macklin & Lewis, ), and helped regulate the flow of water for crop cultivation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early evidence of irrigation technology in the North China Plain: Geoarchaeological investigations at the Anshang Site, Neihuang County, Henan Province, China

et al. 2017

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The development of irrigation is a politically important technology that enabled agricultural societies to intensify agricultural production. In the North China Plain, the historical record suggests a long tradition of irrigation, but archaeologists have found scant evidence of these technologies outside of urban areas. In 2012, 2015, and 2016, our excavations at the Anshang site, Neihuang County, Henan Province, China, revealed several archaeological features that we interpret as evidence of Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1200–1046 B.C.) canal construction in a nonurban context. By using a range of geological methods, including particle size, loss on ignition, magnetic susceptibility, and micromorphology, we suggest that these ancient canals and the subsequent construction phases found at Anshang not only influenced the development of local geomorphic conditions, but also were part of early dynastic attempts to restructure the natural landscape to facilitate agricultural productivity. These irrigation canals found at Anshang may be representative of broader trends of human‐environmental interactions in the North China Plain.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early evidence of irrigation technology in the North China Plain: Geoarchaeological investigations at the Anshang Site, Neihuang County, Henan Province, China

et al. 2017

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“…), parameterization, hydrologic modeling, data/model analysis and visualization with a tight coupling of data handling, parameterization, and simulation. The open architecture is particularly suited to the rapid prototyping of model functions in support of hydroarcheological modeling applications . The reader is referred to Qu and Duffy and Shi et al for details of the model and availability.…”

Section: The Hydroarcheological Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The method is currently being used at the ancient Maya site of Tikal in northern Guatemala (NSF #1211809), to carry out a comparative study at a location within a much larger watershed with different geological and hydrological conditions. Our research has revealed the potential for watershed‐climate modeling in developing plausible scenarios of water use and supply, and the effect of extreme conditions (flood and drought), all of which cannot be fully represented by current atmosphere‐based climate and weather projections …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our research has revealed the potential for watershed-climate modeling in developing plausible scenarios of water use and supply, and the effect of extreme conditions (flood and drought), all of which cannot be fully represented by current atmosphere-based climate and weather projections. 7,24 For example, one objective of our research in Palenque was to test the hypothesis that drought was responsible for the Maya collapse. Did the Maya abandon Palenque in search of water?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding ancient Maya water resources and the implications for a more sustainable future

French

Duffy

2014

WIREs Water

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Archeological research often provides a glimpse into the daily lives and generational outcomes of our collective past, but rarely does it lead to significant effects on living (and possibly future) populations. Understanding the impact early civilizations had on their environment has been an active area of study since the 1950s. As one of the most vital resources, water is central to many of these scholarly endeavors. Research has shown that land use is a primary factor on the functionality of a watershed. Our hypothesis is that simulating past climate and hydrology of a watershed with probable land use scenarios can create a virtual experiment to explore a range of conditions for water availability and use in prehistoric landscapes. The ancient Maya lived in a varied environment with highly seasonal precipitation and landscapes that required vastly different water management strategies. Many of these ancient centers maintained dense populations that ultimately forced unsustainable land use practices. Our approach is to apply simulated climate projections to evaluate the hydrologic performance of watersheds surrounding the Classic Maya sites of Palenque, Mexico and Tikal, Guatemala. An important conclusion from our work at Palenque is that virtual data can provide a plausible framework for assessing the sustainability of water use strategies, past and present. This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Planning Water Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change Science of Water > Water Extremes

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“…Additionally, geographic information system (GIS) techniques have been widely used in the land‐planning and risk assessment of cultural heritage (Elez et al, ; Lazzari, Danese, & Masini, ; Lazzari, Patriziano, & Aliano, ; Ortiz et al, ; Siart, Eitel, & Panagiotopoulos, ). However, the use of GIS‐based hydrological analysis and modelling in combination with geomorphological and geological studies has only focused on the prospecting and reconstruction of archaeological sites (Espa, Benedetti, De Meo, Ricci, & Espa, ; French, Duffy, & Bhatt, ; Harrower, ; Siart et al, , among others). Additionally, there are no previous works that integrate the entire set of scales of observations and techniques (also including climatic monitoring and modelling and petrophysical characterization), to unravel the main water‐related factors involved in the deterioration of large archaeological sites.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geo‐environmental evaluation for the preventive conservation of open‐air archaeological sites: the case of the Roman Necropolis of Carmona (Spain)

Élez

Cañaveras

Benavente

et al. 2019

Archaeological Prospection

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The Necropolis of Carmona, which has more than 600 tombs carved in calcarenites, is among the most important Roman burial sites preserved in southern Spain. The tombs in the Necropolis show severe alteration and multiple weathering processes after being excavated at the end of the nineteenth century without a preventive conservation plan. The archaeological site shows strong anthropic modifications related to different excavation stages and in relation to the construction of facilities for the visiting public. In particular, the exposure of the buried tombs to meteoric conditions and anthropic modification of natural drainage have led to an important acceleration of the deterioration of the tombs. The conservation status of the Necropolis was defined through a comprehensive geo‐environmental study that combined field observations and laboratory data, modelling and digital mapping and environmental monitoring. Results allow a methodology to be developed providing guidelines to minimize potential risks when excavating new tombs (now buried) in the future. Moreover, the most suitable prospective areas can be defined inside the Necropolis in terms of the environmental, geological and geomorphological conditions which will enhance the preservation of newly exhumed tombs. Geo‐environmental preventive conservation methods that we propose can be entirely applied to other large archaeological sites completely exposed to open‐air atmospheric conditions.

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The urban hydrology and hydraulic engineering at the classic maya site of Palenque

Cited by 13 publications

References 11 publications

Early evidence of irrigation technology in the North China Plain: Geoarchaeological investigations at the Anshang Site, Neihuang County, Henan Province, China

Early evidence of irrigation technology in the North China Plain: Geoarchaeological investigations at the Anshang Site, Neihuang County, Henan Province, China

Understanding ancient Maya water resources and the implications for a more sustainable future

Geo‐environmental evaluation for the preventive conservation of open‐air archaeological sites: the case of the Roman Necropolis of Carmona (Spain)

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