De paludibus urbis Romae. Ancient Romans on the Wetlands of Ancient Rome – a Palaeoenvironmental Perspective

Less renowned than the seven hills that constitute the city of Rome (Italy) are the wetlands between these hills that hampered the development of the expan-ding city Hydrological interventions counteracting these obstacles were already initiated around 600 BCE or even earlier After drainage, the reclaimed wetlands were built over as the city expanded: within the urban area no wetlands have survived Whereas the wetlands of the Forum Romanum, the Velabrum, and the Circus Maximus are mentioned frequently in ancient Roman literature, others have been mentioned only circumstantially or not at all, and their existence is only known from (hydro)geological and geomorphological studies This paper presents an overview of these wetlands and ancient wetland terminology from a modern palaeoenvironmental perspective, assesses the functions and values of the wet- lands, and discusses their cultural and historical relevance for the ancient Roman society This society was with certainty influenced by the wetlands, but it was their modification and destruction that shaped the City of Rome and the Roman culture