The Environment of Ancient Rome

This project led by Dr Keenan-Jones centres on human-environment interaction in the ancient Mediterranean. In collaboration with geoscientists, he has demonstrated that lead from Roman water pipe networks polluted Pompeii’s drinking water, as well as the ancient harbours of Naples and Rome, and that this harbour pollution can be used to track the growth and decline of ancient urban infrastructure.

The project is currently working on historical responses to climate variability in the ancient Italy.