IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jworld/v3y2022i2p14-286d796756.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • 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
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4060/3/2/14/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4060/3/2/14/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Milanovic, Branko & Lindert, Peter & Williamson, Jeffrey, 2007. "Measuring Ancient Inequality," MPRA Paper 5388, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Branko Milanovic, 2006. "An Estimate Of Average Income And Inequality In Byzantium Around Year 1000," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 52(3), pages 449-470, September.
    3. G.-Fivos Sargentis & Romanos Ioannidis & Georgios Karakatsanis & Stavroula Sigourou & Nikos D. Lagaros & Demetris Koutsoyiannis, 2019. "The Development of the Athens Water Supply System and Inferences for Optimizing the Scale of Water Infrastructures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-18, May.
    4. Harper, Kyle, 2016. "People, Plagues, and Prices in the Roman World: The Evidence from Egypt," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 76(3), pages 803-839, September.
    5. Jongman, Willem M. & Jacobs, Jan P.A.M. & Klein Goldewijk, Geertje M., 2019. "Health and wealth in the Roman Empire," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 138-150.
    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.
    7. Irwin, Douglas A., 2013. "The Nixon shock after forty years: the import surcharge revisited," World Trade Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(1), pages 29-56, January.
    8. Timothy A. Kohler & Michael E. Smith & Amy Bogaard & Gary M. Feinman & Christian E. Peterson & Alleen Betzenhauser & Matthew Pailes & Elizabeth C. Stone & Anna Marie Prentiss & Timothy J. Dennehy & La, 2017. "Greater post-Neolithic wealth disparities in Eurasia than in North America and Mesoamerica," Nature, Nature, vol. 551(7682), pages 619-622, November.
    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.
    11. Stelios H. Zanakis & Stavros Theofanides & Anthony N. Kontaratos & Theodosios P. Tassios, 2003. "Ancient Greeks' Practices and Contributions in Public and Entrepreneurship Decision Making," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 33(6), pages 72-88, December.
    12. Paolo Malanima, 2013. "When did England overtake Italy? Medieval and early modern divergence in prices and wages," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 17(1), pages 45-70, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    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.
    2. David Markantonis & G.-Fivos Sargentis & Panayiotis Dimitriadis & Theano Iliopoulou & Aimilia Siganou & Konstantina Moraiti & Maria Nikolinakou & Ilias Taygetos Meletopoulos & Nikos Mamassis & Demetri, 2023. "Stochastic Evaluation of the Investment Risk by the Scale of Water Infrastructures—Case Study: The Municipality of West Mani (Greece)," World, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-20, January.
    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.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    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.
    2. G.-Fivos Sargentis & Nikos D. Lagaros & Giuseppe Leonardo Cascella & Demetris Koutsoyiannis, 2022. "Threats in Water–Energy–Food–Land Nexus by the 2022 Military and Economic Conflict," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-19, September.
    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.
    4. David Markantonis & G.-Fivos Sargentis & Panayiotis Dimitriadis & Theano Iliopoulou & Aimilia Siganou & Konstantina Moraiti & Maria Nikolinakou & Ilias Taygetos Meletopoulos & Nikos Mamassis & Demetri, 2023. "Stochastic Evaluation of the Investment Risk by the Scale of Water Infrastructures—Case Study: The Municipality of West Mani (Greece)," World, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-20, January.
    5. Modalsli, Jørgen, 2011. "Inequality and growth in the very long run: inferring inequality from data on social groups," Memorandum 11/2011, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    6. Milanovic, Branko, 2009. "Global inequality and the global inequality extraction ratio: the story of the past two centuries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5044, The World Bank.
    7. Persson, Karl Gunnar, 2008. "The Malthus delusion," European Review of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(2), pages 165-173, August.
    8. Jørgen Modalsli, 2015. "Inequality in the very long run: inferring inequality from data on social groups," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 13(2), pages 225-247, June.
    9. Jean-Pascal Bassino & Masanori Takashima, 2014. "Paying the price for spiritual enlightenment: tax pressure and living standards in Kofun and Asuka-Nara, Japan (c.300-794 AD)," Working Papers 14001, Economic History Society.
    10. von Fintel, Dieter & Links, Calumet & Green, Erik, 2023. "Estimating Historical Inequality from Social Tables: Towards Methodological Consistency," Lund Papers in Economic History 247, Lund University, Department of Economic History.
    11. Milanovic, Branko, 2011. "A short history of global inequality: The past two centuries," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 494-506.
    12. Bolt, Jutta & Hillbom, Ellen, 2013. "Social Structures and Income Distribution in Colonial sub-Saharan Africa. The Case of Bechuanaland Protectorate 1936-1964," Lund Papers in Economic History 130, Lund University, Department of Economic History.
    13. Marco, I. & Padró, R. & Tello, E., 2020. "Dialogues on nature, class and gender: Revisiting socio-ecological reproduction in past organic advanced agriculture (Sentmenat, Catalonia, 1850)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    14. repec:cte:whrepe:wp15-09 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Alberto Chilosi, 2010. "Poverty, Population, Inequality, and Development: the Historical Perspective," European Journal of Comparative Economics, Cattaneo University (LIUC), vol. 7(2), pages 469-501, December.
    16. María Gómez-León, 2015. "The Rise of the Middle Class, Brazil (1839-1950)," Working Papers 0091, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    17. 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.
    18. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/2241 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Leonardo Monasterio, 2011. "The Regional Inequality Frontier: Brazil (1872-2000)," ERSA conference papers ersa10p353, European Regional Science Association.
    20. Caldara, Dario & Iacoviello, Matteo & Molligo, Patrick & Prestipino, Andrea & Raffo, Andrea, 2020. "The economic effects of trade policy uncertainty," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 38-59.
    21. Alfani, Guido & Ryckbosch, Wouter, 2016. "Growing apart in early modern Europe? A comparison of inequality trends in Italy and the Low Countries, 1500–1800," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 143-153.
    22. Jerven , Morten & Austin , Gareth & Green, Erik & Uche , Chibuike & Frankema , Ewout & Fourie , Johan & Inikori , Joseph & Moradi , Alexander & Hillbom , Ellen, 2012. "Moving Forward in African Economic History: Bridging the Gap Between Methods and Sources," African Economic History Working Paper 1/2012, African Economic History Network.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jworld:v:3:y:2022:i:2:p:14-286:d:796756. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.