Le misure di sanità pubblica nell'impero romano e l'URBAN GRAVEYARD EFFECT

The paper aims to examine some evidence on the protection of public health in relation to waste disposal in Rome and other urban centers of the empire. The existence of a considerable number of aqueducts, public latrines, sewers and toilets has prompted some scholars to hypothesize that the Urbe and the large cities of the empire did not suffer from the backlash of the so-called "Urban Graveyard Effect," of a very high mortality rate due to urban overpopulation. However, as is obvious, intense rates of urbanization inevitably presuppose greater exposure to infectious diseases, spread orofecally, and fatal contagions. Some legislative provisions aimed at regulating and regulating cleanliness, urban decorum, and the disposal of unburied corpses and animal carcasses will be examined in an attempt to understand whether and to what extent there was an awareness of environmental problems in the Roman world, whether the problem of pollution was perceived and recognized as such and engendered and suggested certain restrictive measures, or, more simply, initiated some good practices.