Water in the Roman World: Engineering, Trade, Religion and Daily Life offers a wide and expansive new treatment of the role water played in the lives of people across the Roman world. Individual papers deal with ports and their lighthouses; with water engineering, whether for canals in the north-west provinces, or for the digging of wells for drinking water, and for multiple other purposes; with baths for swimming; and with spas. Further papers explore religion in water-sanctuaries and the deposition of objects in rivers as well as deities connected with water, including river gods and nymphs. A final chapter provides an overview of subjects not fully covered elsewhere, including warships and naval battles, trade and navigation, aqueducts, fishing and fish-farming, and literary response to watery landscapes, rivers and lakes. The latter include works by great landowners such as the younger Pliny with his Laurentine villa beside the sea west of Rome or by poets, among them Catullus enjoying Lake Garda and Ausonius with his loving description of the River Moselle. The contributors address the subject in a variety of different ways, as Classicists drawing largely on literature, archaeologists with experience of excavating the watery environment, and art-historians. The papers range from the theoretical, with particular interest in materiality, to more lyrical approaches which address the Romans with their problems as well as their pleasures.

'Water in the Roman World is a strong addition to our understanding of both water and waterways under the Romans, and how they are analysed and interpreted by archaeologists and academics. It is an invaluable, accessible contribution to the topic, and would make an excellent addition to the collections both of scholars and of those with more general interests.' – Andrew Tibbs (2023): Current Archaeology Issue 395

'This volume is extremely successful in that it brings together a number of different authors, who all provide new perspectives, often through new evidence, on how water was used and perceived. It should be noted that readers looking for the most up-to-date bibliography will not always find that in some chapters, such as in Henig’s. But that certainly does not detract from the work, which is a valuable resource for those wishing to plunge deeper into Roman water.' – Dylan K Rogers (2023): Current World Archaeology, March 2023

'The articles in the volume are brilliantly written and understandable, the arguments are convincing... Overall, the contributions convey fundamental insights and provide important suggestions for future research.' [translated] – Helmuth Schneider (2023): Bryn Mawr Classical Review

‘Both editors express the hope in their respective contributions that this collection of papers will inspire future research. After having read this stimulating volume, and while still reflecting on many of the new ideas and fresh perspectives offered here, I am more than hopeful: I am convinced it will.’ – Nathalie De Haan (2024): The Classical Review

‘Il offre un ensemble de valeurs, en particulier avec des résumés qui seront extrêmement utiles.’ [translated] ‘It offers a set of values, particularly with summaries that will be extremely useful.’ – Yasmina Benferhat (2025): LATOMUS Tome 84

Martin Henig lectured on Roman Art in the University of Oxford for many years, where he was latterly a Supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College. He is the author of many books and articles on Roman gems and on the art and culture of Roman Britain. Martin serves as an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Oxford.

Jason Lundock completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard University before earning his Master’s and PhD. from King’s College London in Classical Archaeology. His specialisations include small finds, numismatics, Roman/Late Antique Britain and archaeological theory. He currently teaches mythology at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. He is the author of several articles and the monograph A Study of the Deposition and Distribution of Copper Alloy Vessels in Roman Britain.