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orion-list RE: On Water Consumption



Tom Simms noted:

>>My Post on Macedonian Army Usage seems to have missed the mark.  The
number of comments contradicting D. W. Engels' findings have been
legion.<<

Actually, they seem to be confirmed by Evenari, Shanan & Tadmor's _The
Negev: the challenge of a
desert._ (1971).

>>Engels' little UCalifornia Press treatise on "THE LOGISTICS OF THE
MACEDONIAN ARMY" is about the
campaigns of ALEXANDER THE GREAT. <<

My apologies if I confused the subject of this book with Hannibal
(which I know I did somewhere, as I even looked up the spelling of his
name <g>).

>>Again, here are the figures in 160 ounce 40 ounce quarts in
Imperial measure likewise the similar pounds avoirdupois.

Appendix 5, Table 3 0n p. 145 of Donald W. Engels,
"Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army"
Berkeley: U. California Press, 1978, gives

The Army's Grain, Forage and Water Requirement for One Day

Personnel  - 3 lb. grain,
             1/2 gal.(5 lb.) water

Cavalry, Baggage and Provision
 animals   - 20 lb. grain and forage
             8 gal. (80 lb.) water<<

I am a bit confused by this, as my understanding is that a US (128 fl
oz) gallon weighs 10 (16 oz) lbs, which contradicts the data in the
table if they represent Imperial gallons that should be 20% heavier.
Are the weights in parentheses your comments, Tom, or in the text?

The results of my inquiry at the Archeology Method list were as
follows:

Bob Kirk had noted that in his naval days he distilled 15 gallons (60
quarts) of water per day which served all personal needs (sans toilet
flushing & steam for heat, etc).

Jake Jacobson had recommended _The Negev: the challenge of a desert_
(Evenari, M., Shanan, L. & Tadmor, N., Cambridge: Harvard University
Press, 1971). Per his memory of 22 years ago, minimum estimate was 2
litres/day in winter and maximum estimate was 7 litres/day in summer.
He also recommended a journal article he co-authored in which he used
this data to speculate about settlement by small stock herders in an
arid environment (in Namibia) with sparse, seasonal water resources:
Carr, M.J., Carr, A.C. & Jacobson, L., Cimbebasia B2(11):235-258,
1978.

Lon Bulgrin recommended _Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the
Macedonian Army_ by Donald Engels (1978 University of California
Press), already recommended by Tom Simms, and which he highly
recommended. Like Tom, he noted that "[m]uch of his (Engel's)
information is based on 19th century British intelligence and army
manuals" and "[w]ith water discipline, he estimated 2 quarts a day per
person and 8 gallons a day per pack animal."

Geoff Carver suggested looking at recent experiments involving
Nabatean-style farming in the Negev region conducted by Ben Gurion
University in Be'ersheva. Geoff was not sure this will be applicable
to Qumran. I do not recall there being any extensive evidence for
agricultural activities at Qumran, except possibly a relatively small
(herb & vegetable?) garden. However, it may contain information
regarding methods for collection of rainwater and their efficiency.

Regards,

Dave Hindley
Cleveland, Ohio, USA



For private reply, e-mail to "David C. Hindley" <dhindley@compuserve.com>
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