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| GENERAL DEFINITION OF THE TECHNIQUE |
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| Technique: |
LARGE OPEN-AIR CISTERNS |
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Definition characters description and diffusion
In historical epoch, large open-air pools and cisterns collected the flows of rainwater conveyed from watersheds and slopes. The technique was diffused in Crete in the Minoan Epoch of the Greek and Roman world and in the hydraulic civilizations of the Middle East, India, and China.
General characters description and diffusion
The pre-Columbian civilization of the Maya lived in a rainy climate with karst soils, which hindered the existence of free water. Instead the hydro resource was made up mainly of rainwater collected in semi-natural and artificial caves called chonotes chultunes. In Yemen and in India large pools were used both for the sacred washing of the body and for drinkable water reserves for agriculture. In Aden, in Yemen, systems of subsequent cisterns, imposed by the tradition of the queen of Sabnea, allowed the supply of water to the boats in transit towards India and the Indian Ocean. The cisterns were impermeable and were made of plasters with a base of volcanic lime ash or other elaborate ingredients based off of egg whites or organic components. In medieval times, a mixture of lime with fragments of chopped cooked clay obtained from scraps of ceramic, bricks, and tiles was used.
Advantages and sustainability
This collection of rainwater is beneficial because it is sustainable and uses slopes and watersheds in order to collect the water.
Images
Deepening
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TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUE DATA
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