Sfruttamento delle risorse idriche e gestione del territorio nell’area limitanea numidica

The paper addresses some issues concerning the water supply and exploitation in the desert and predesert areas of Roman Numidia, taking into account archaeological, epigraphic and literary data. The overall picture that emerges is dramatically different from the current environmental situation, due to a different management of the hydric resources adopted in the past. Alongside a general overview of the several ways to supply and exploit water in this area in the Roman times, the author gives account of the preliminary results of a survey campaign in the Algerian district of Biskra, conducted within a joint programme promoted by the University of Padua and the Mohamed Khider University of Biskra.