A virtual water network of the Roman world

Dermody, B. J.; van Beek, R. P. H.; Meeks, E.; Klein Goldewijk, K.; Scheidel, W.; van der Velde, Y.; Bierkens, M. F. P.; Wassen, M. J.; Dekker, S. C.

doi:10.5194/hess-18-5025-2014

Articles | Volume 18, issue 12

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-5025-2014

© Author(s) 2014. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Special issue:

Predictions under change: water, earth, and biota in the anthropocene...

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-5025-2014

© Author(s) 2014. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 18, issue 12

Research article

|

11 Dec 2014

Research article |

| 11 Dec 2014

A virtual water network of the Roman world

B. J. Dermody, R. P. H. van Beek, E. Meeks, K. Klein Goldewijk, W. Scheidel, Y. van der Velde, M. F. P. Bierkens, M. J. Wassen, and S. C. Dekker

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Total article views: 15,977 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)

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XML: 343
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EndNote: 280

Views and downloads (calculated since 20 Jun 2014)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Jun 2014	204	130	2	336
Jul 2014	147	35	2	184
Aug 2014	114	26	3	143
Sep 2014	25	18	2	45
Oct 2014	37	31	0	68
Nov 2014	83	238	0	321
Dec 2014	2,007	1,469	56	3,532
Jan 2015	662	437	12	1,111
Feb 2015	150	134	12	296
Mar 2015	116	92	11	219
Apr 2015	118	84	9	211
May 2015	112	72	5	189
Jun 2015	129	56	5	190
Jul 2015	99	63	3	165
Aug 2015	136	80	2	218
Sep 2015	54	63	9	126
Oct 2015	71	78	14	163
Nov 2015	89	71	1	161
Dec 2015	39	62	5	106
Jan 2016	71	55	3	129
Feb 2016	49	42	1	92
Mar 2016	110	64	2	176
Apr 2016	41	36	0	77
May 2016	18	25	0	43
Jun 2016	44	20	1	65
Jul 2016	38	21	2	61
Aug 2016	33	20	1	54
Sep 2016	22	24	0	46
Oct 2016	28	19	0	47
Nov 2016	25	13	0	38
Dec 2016	15	28	0	43
Jan 2017	51	28	3	82
Feb 2017	44	30	2	76
Mar 2017	65	51	7	123
Apr 2017	87	47	12	146
May 2017	81	40	12	133
Jun 2017	89	23	10	122
Jul 2017	46	45	2	93
Aug 2017	18	39	0	57
Sep 2017	29	56	0	85
Oct 2017	37	48	0	85
Nov 2017	46	40	1	87
Dec 2017	33	75	2	110
Jan 2018	34	54	1	89
Feb 2018	34	41	4	79
Mar 2018	37	39	0	76
Apr 2018	36	48	1	85
May 2018	65	47	2	114
Jun 2018	51	46	1	98
Jul 2018	40	43	1	84
Aug 2018	48	37	1	86
Sep 2018	42	45	0	87
Oct 2018	39	52	0	91
Nov 2018	43	59	0	102
Dec 2018	34	36	1	71
Jan 2019	39	34	1	74
Feb 2019	32	9	0	41
Mar 2019	27	19	0	46
Apr 2019	28	22	0	50
May 2019	35	19	0	54
Jun 2019	22	27	1	50
Jul 2019	33	29	1	63
Aug 2019	25	29	0	54
Sep 2019	26	22	0	48
Oct 2019	29	42	1	72
Nov 2019	27	49	0	76
Dec 2019	19	54	3	76
Jan 2020	34	61	3	98
Feb 2020	22	75	1	98
Mar 2020	36	57	1	94
Apr 2020	49	10	0	59
May 2020	57	22	0	79
Jun 2020	49	18	1	68
Jul 2020	46	14	9	69
Aug 2020	39	20	7	66
Sep 2020	44	19	0	63
Oct 2020	31	21	1	53
Nov 2020	25	14	0	39
Dec 2020	59	33	1	93
Jan 2021	77	30	1	108
Feb 2021	44	23	0	67
Mar 2021	33	24	0	57
Apr 2021	38	29	1	68
May 2021	41	41	0	82
Jun 2021	37	22	0	59
Jul 2021	19	10	0	29
Aug 2021	170	39	1	210
Sep 2021	31	14	0	45
Oct 2021	20	33	0	53
Nov 2021	41	58	1	100
Dec 2021	21	16	1	38
Jan 2022	28	24	1	53
Feb 2022	33	24	1	58
Mar 2022	25	18	0	43
Apr 2022	47	19	5	71
May 2022	40	26	0	66
Jun 2022	28	17	2	47
Jul 2022	25	9	1	35
Aug 2022	29	12	1	42
Sep 2022	26	20	0	46
Oct 2022	39	19	1	59
Nov 2022	33	18	0	51
Dec 2022	23	25	3	51
Jan 2023	33	25	1	59
Feb 2023	24	13	2	39
Mar 2023	35	24	2	61
Apr 2023	28	25	4	57
May 2023	22	30	0	52
Jun 2023	21	15	2	38
Jul 2023	19	13	3	35
Aug 2023	17	16	2	35
Sep 2023	32	19	1	52
Oct 2023	25	35	2	62
Nov 2023	24	3	0	27
Dec 2023	40	15	3	58
Jan 2024	22	21	1	44
Feb 2024	17	27	0	44
Mar 2024	26	23	1	50
Apr 2024	38	12	3	53
May 2024	38	16	7	61
Jun 2024	38	24	3	65
Jul 2024	22	16	5	43
Aug 2024	38	17	3	58
Sep 2024	33	9	1	43
Oct 2024	27	21	1	49
Nov 2024	30	21	2	53
Dec 2024	30	29	0	59
Jan 2025	31	16	0	47
Feb 2025	48	13	1	62
Mar 2025	53	22	7	82
Apr 2025	42	34	3	79
May 2025	37	26	0	63
Jun 2025	54	31	2	87
Jul 2025	28	37	2	67
Aug 2025	52	31	1	84
Sep 2025	68	29	1	98
Oct 2025	33	24	0	57
Nov 2025	7	10	0	17

Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 20 Jun 2014)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Jun 2014	204	130	2	336
Jul 2014	147	35	2	184
Aug 2014	114	26	3	143
Sep 2014	25	18	2	45
Oct 2014	37	31	0	68
Nov 2014	83	238	0	321
Dec 2014	2,007	1,469	56	3,532
Jan 2015	662	437	12	1,111
Feb 2015	150	134	12	296
Mar 2015	116	92	11	219
Apr 2015	118	84	9	211
May 2015	112	72	5	189
Jun 2015	129	56	5	190
Jul 2015	99	63	3	165
Aug 2015	136	80	2	218
Sep 2015	54	63	9	126
Oct 2015	71	78	14	163
Nov 2015	89	71	1	161
Dec 2015	39	62	5	106
Jan 2016	71	55	3	129
Feb 2016	49	42	1	92
Mar 2016	110	64	2	176
Apr 2016	41	36	0	77
May 2016	18	25	0	43
Jun 2016	44	20	1	65
Jul 2016	38	21	2	61
Aug 2016	33	20	1	54
Sep 2016	22	24	0	46
Oct 2016	28	19	0	47
Nov 2016	25	13	0	38
Dec 2016	15	28	0	43
Jan 2017	51	28	3	82
Feb 2017	44	30	2	76
Mar 2017	65	51	7	123
Apr 2017	87	47	12	146
May 2017	81	40	12	133
Jun 2017	89	23	10	122
Jul 2017	46	45	2	93
Aug 2017	18	39	0	57
Sep 2017	29	56	0	85
Oct 2017	37	48	0	85
Nov 2017	46	40	1	87
Dec 2017	33	75	2	110
Jan 2018	34	54	1	89
Feb 2018	34	41	4	79
Mar 2018	37	39	0	76
Apr 2018	36	48	1	85
May 2018	65	47	2	114
Jun 2018	51	46	1	98
Jul 2018	40	43	1	84
Aug 2018	48	37	1	86
Sep 2018	42	45	0	87
Oct 2018	39	52	0	91
Nov 2018	43	59	0	102
Dec 2018	34	36	1	71
Jan 2019	39	34	1	74
Feb 2019	32	9	0	41
Mar 2019	27	19	0	46
Apr 2019	28	22	0	50
May 2019	35	19	0	54
Jun 2019	22	27	1	50
Jul 2019	33	29	1	63
Aug 2019	25	29	0	54
Sep 2019	26	22	0	48
Oct 2019	29	42	1	72
Nov 2019	27	49	0	76
Dec 2019	19	54	3	76
Jan 2020	34	61	3	98
Feb 2020	22	75	1	98
Mar 2020	36	57	1	94
Apr 2020	49	10	0	59
May 2020	57	22	0	79
Jun 2020	49	18	1	68
Jul 2020	46	14	9	69
Aug 2020	39	20	7	66
Sep 2020	44	19	0	63
Oct 2020	31	21	1	53
Nov 2020	25	14	0	39
Dec 2020	59	33	1	93
Jan 2021	77	30	1	108
Feb 2021	44	23	0	67
Mar 2021	33	24	0	57
Apr 2021	38	29	1	68
May 2021	41	41	0	82
Jun 2021	37	22	0	59
Jul 2021	19	10	0	29
Aug 2021	170	39	1	210
Sep 2021	31	14	0	45
Oct 2021	20	33	0	53
Nov 2021	41	58	1	100
Dec 2021	21	16	1	38
Jan 2022	28	24	1	53
Feb 2022	33	24	1	58
Mar 2022	25	18	0	43
Apr 2022	47	19	5	71
May 2022	40	26	0	66
Jun 2022	28	17	2	47
Jul 2022	25	9	1	35
Aug 2022	29	12	1	42
Sep 2022	26	20	0	46
Oct 2022	39	19	1	59
Nov 2022	33	18	0	51
Dec 2022	23	25	3	51
Jan 2023	33	25	1	59
Feb 2023	24	13	2	39
Mar 2023	35	24	2	61
Apr 2023	28	25	4	57
May 2023	22	30	0	52
Jun 2023	21	15	2	38
Jul 2023	19	13	3	35
Aug 2023	17	16	2	35
Sep 2023	32	19	1	52
Oct 2023	25	35	2	62
Nov 2023	24	3	0	27
Dec 2023	40	15	3	58
Jan 2024	22	21	1	44
Feb 2024	17	27	0	44
Mar 2024	26	23	1	50
Apr 2024	38	12	3	53
May 2024	38	16	7	61
Jun 2024	38	24	3	65
Jul 2024	22	16	5	43
Aug 2024	38	17	3	58
Sep 2024	33	9	1	43
Oct 2024	27	21	1	49
Nov 2024	30	21	2	53
Dec 2024	30	29	0	59
Jan 2025	31	16	0	47
Feb 2025	48	13	1	62
Mar 2025	53	22	7	82
Apr 2025	42	34	3	79
May 2025	37	26	0	63
Jun 2025	54	31	2	87
Jul 2025	28	37	2	67
Aug 2025	52	31	1	84
Sep 2025	68	29	1	98
Oct 2025	33	24	0	57
Nov 2025	7	10	0	17

Latest update: 08 Nov 2025

Short summary

Our virtual water network of the Roman World shows that virtual water trade and irrigation provided the Romans with resilience to interannual climate variability. Virtual water trade enabled the Romans to meet food demands from regions with a surplus. Irrigation provided stable water supplies for agriculture, particularly in large river catchments. However, virtual water trade also stimulated urbanization and population growth, which eroded Roman resilience to climate variability over time.