Session: #527

Session, made up of a combination of papers, max. 15 minutes each

The last decade saw a lot of archaeological research in general issues of medieval water management like flood protection, irrigation, drainage, mill canals etc. - i.e. anything which aims at a more or less complex management of too much or too little water. Most of this research is focused on the technical perspective of water management while the mental aspect is widely neglected. The invention and application of techniques, however, is not only a question of technical abilities, but of mental conditions: An event has to be considered a problem and the solution of the problem must be regarded to be in the reach of society. Regarding water during the middle ages we may ask, who considered too much or too little water a problem (e.g. peasants, landlords, clergy etc)? When was it a problem or when was it just a natural event like snow or a storm? Technical measures – if they occurred – definitely show that flooding or drought was considered a problem and the areas which were improved may indicate the actors and their values. When and by whom were natural events simply regarded as divine will or examination or punishment which has to accepted? And when does who dare to use technical measures to manage these problems, i.e. to subjugate nature to human control – against or in accordance with divine will?
In this session we invite papers from all over Europe to explore such changes of medieval mentalities by analysing water management systems.

Water management, mentalities, nature

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Professor Dr Thomas Meier (Germany) ^1,2

Professor Dr Fèlix Retamero Serralvo (Spain) ^3,4