Environmental Problems of the Ancient Greeks and Romans

Environmental problems are not just issues of the present, they have been environmental problems dating back to era of the Romans and Greeks. Some of the most common environmental issues in this era were caused by agricultural problems. Agriculture is very important in developing society because it is critically needed to help a society grow, to eventually become an economic powerhouse. A consequence of becoming an economic powerhouse is that overpopulation can eventually become a problem which is followed by poverty, which can also be followed by contaminated water. All of this was possible because of the agricultury system, but what made a booming agricultural society possible was the irrigation. The Amalfi coast’s society was built around irrigation in the form of terracing the mountains that line the coast.
The Amalfi coast is struggling environmentally because of the agricultural irrigation that comes in the form of the terraces. The terraces of the Amalfi coast are a result of living in a mountainous area with very few valleys for agriculture. To create these terraces, they would carefully and precisely build stone walls, and then fill the stone walls with soil and more stones for structure. In doing this the runoff from the mountain side could self-irrigate their crops in an effective manner. If we move ahead to present day, these terraces are no longer being maintained at the same level that they were previously, which results in flooding problems. Some farmers of the Amalfi coast are moving away from the traditional techniques of farming these terraces, and instead of using chestnut for stability in their garden or wall, they are using concrete which lasts longer. However, with the use of concrete, they are preventing natural runoff down the mountainside which has resulted in a flood that devastated the area. The Amalfi coast is an example of past environmental changes combined with present changes that has resulted in environmental problems of flooding.
The Amalfi coast is just one example that we have seen on this trip that is struggling with the combination on past and present environmental changes. This is seen not just from the deforming of a mountainside but also through the result of deforming the mountain (i.e. flooding). Italy’s prominence of human development with the environment has been seen with the sinking of Venice to even the constant rebuilding of ancient buildings.

                                                       The terraces of the Amalfi coast