Roman Law and Waters: How Local Hydrography Framed Regulations

Is there a relationship between the conceptualisation of water and its regulation? There is no simple or
obvious answer to this question. This paper contends that the Roman regulatory framework mirrored the
fragmented conceptualisation of water that was dominant in pre-modern times. The paper aimsto show that water
regulation is sensitive to the particular conceptualisation of water that a society adopts, which in turn reflects the
specific historical period in which it is embedded. It also aims to show that there may be a way to deal with local
hydrography differently from the paradigm currently promoted by the integrated water resource management
framework. These considerations are not moot in today’s discussions on water resource management.