Seated in a low lying valley near the Tiber River, the Roman Forum is prone to heavy flooding. Throughout time, Roman architects tried various methods to adapt to flooding and to prevent flood damage, when flooding inevitably occurred. Using QGIS, I will graphically represent changes in the water table in order to demonstrate when, where, and why Romans built in the Roman Forum. The buildings I will be looking at specifically are the earliest Roman basilicas – Basilica Porcia, Basilica Fulvia, Basilica Sempronia, Basilica Opimia – and their successors. I will also examine modern methods of flood prevention and compare them to the methods used by Romans.
Margaret Nichols ’14
Major: Individualized: Archaeology
Sponsor: John Gruber-Miller