Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2005. / Title from title screen (viewed 22 May 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept. of Classical Archaeology, Faculty of Arts. Degree awarded 2005; thesis submitted 2004. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

This dissertation demonstrates how the cross-disciplinary application of methods and tools from archaeology, philology, and engineering can yield insights into ancient water-supply systems and help to solve problems associated with their precise function and with their description in ancient literature. Conventional calculations determine the flow properties of seven ancient long-distance pipelines. Components of the water-supply pipeline at Aspendos are simulated with a commercially available Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software package (FLUENT® by Fluent Inc.) that is widely used in the design and research of complex flow systems. The application of CFD clarifies the interaction of water and air during the filling process of a pipeline. The project establishes a methodology using state-of-the-art computer simulation tools for the investigation of these systems. The combination of the numerical results with the insights derived from a comparison of Latin technical documents with ancient Greek medical texts answers conclusively some long-term questions that have been plaguing aqueduct research for a long time. The simulation makes visible the flow of water in the pipeline, disproving the long-term misunderstanding that entrained air will form bubbles in the flowing water column that lead to pressure transient. It is possible to explain the function of lateral holes in the sides of pipe segments. The calculated volume flow rates for each pipeline allow estimates about the population sizes for the cities supplies by the aqueducts. The creation of a computer-based methodology for the study of ancient aqueducts will enable scholars to investigate, compare, and catalogue a wide variety of ancient hydraulic systems.