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Values and Costs in History: A Case Study on Estimating the Cost of Hadrianic Aqueduct’s Construction

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  • G.-Fivos Sargentis

    (Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Development, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechneiou 9, 157 80 Zographou, Greece)

  • Panos Defteraios

    (Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Development, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechneiou 9, 157 80 Zographou, Greece)

  • Nikos D. Lagaros

    (Institute of Structural Analysis and Antiseismic Research, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechneiou 9, 157 80 Zographou, Greece)

  • Nikοs Mamassis

    (Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Development, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechneiou 9, 157 80 Zographou, Greece)

Abstract

The pursuit of wealth has been a basic occupation of humans; as it turns out, wealth increases life expectancy. Analyzing global data, we show that money, probably connected with medical care, increase life expectancy. However, the base of real wealth is access to the Water–Energy–Food nexus, and the access to this also increases life expectancy. The first objective of this study was to compare the present values of wealth with antiquity, and we showed that about 1.4 billion people live in the present under the average lower wages of antiquity. As a case study, we analyze the construction of the Hadrianic aqueduct. We present a detailed description of the construction and the used methods, and we identify the total requirement of labor–time. Then, we investigate the wages of various occupations in the first century AD. The second objective of this study was the estimation of the total cost of daily wages for the construction of the project and the effect of the aqueduct on Athenians’ quality of life. Finally, we show that, today, about two billion people live with less available water than Athenians had with the Hadrianic aqueduct in the second century A.D.

Suggested Citation

  • G.-Fivos Sargentis & Panos Defteraios & Nikos D. Lagaros & Nikοs Mamassis, 2022. "Values and Costs in History: A Case Study on Estimating the Cost of Hadrianic Aqueduct’s Construction," World, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-27, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jworld:v:3:y:2022:i:2:p:14-286:d:796756
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. G.-Fivos Sargentis & Paraskevi Siamparina & Georgia-Konstantina Sakki & Andreas Efstratiadis & Michalis Chiotinis & Demetris Koutsoyiannis, 2021. "Agricultural Land or Photovoltaic Parks? The Water–Energy–Food Nexus and Land Development Perspectives in the Thessaly Plain, Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-19, August.
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    9. G.-Fivos Sargentis & Theano Iliopoulou & Panayiotis Dimitriadis & Nikolaos Mamassis & Demetris Koutsoyiannis, 2021. "Stratification: An Entropic View of Society’s Structure," World, MDPI, vol. 2(2), pages 1-22, March.
    10. G.-Fivos Sargentis & Theano Iliopoulou & Stavroula Sigourou & Panayiotis Dimitriadis & Demetris Koutsoyiannis, 2020. "Evolution of Clustering Quantified by a Stochastic Method—Case Studies on Natural and Human Social Structures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-22, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. G.-Fivos Sargentis & Demetris Koutsoyiannis, 2023. "The Function of Money in Water–Energy–Food and Land Nexus," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, March.
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    3. G.-Fivos Sargentis & Demetris Koutsoyiannis & Andreas Angelakis & John Christy & Anastasios A. Tsonis, 2022. "Environmental Determinism vs. Social Dynamics: Prehistorical and Historical Examples," World, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-32, June.

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