ANCIENT AND MODERN HYDROLOGY

Gedeon Dagan

Faculty of Engineering

Tel Aviv University

Israel

Preamble

I have been fortunate that my work is recognized by the scientific community, as evidenced by the honors and awards bestowed upon me throughout my career. Nevertheless, this particular occasion as I receive a degree of Doctor Honoris Causa from my Alma Mater, the Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest has a special, and rather emotional meaning.

Fifty years ago this year I graduated from the Technical University with a degree in Hydraulic Engineering. On this occasion I recall with nostalgia the years of my youth, full of enthusiasm, hope and expectations.

The five years spent in the University, day to day during each academic year, provided me with the source of knowledge which was the foundation of my career. The success of my studies was due primarily to the seriousness and commitment of the academic staff, the lecturers and professors of that time. I remember them quite vividly. Unfortunately, time does not permit me to recall them by name. Although many of them are no longer with us I would like to express my appreciation to them collectively for endowing me with the professional qualifications that have accompanied me throughout my career and that have been the basis for my development.

But the professional side of my years in the university is only one aspect – the human aspect is equally important. We students spent many years together in the classroom, as well in training sessions during the summers. This created an ambiance of comradeship which was enjoyable and which left us with memories of the social experience we had there. I thank you, my colleagues - those who are able to be here for this event - as well as the absent ones, for those years together.

Recently, I read an excerpt of a beautiful poem of an Israeli poet. It says: "Memory filters, embellishes and covers up…". In spite of this natural human tendency I cannot conclude this preamble without recalling the shadows that were cast over us during those years. Our studies took place at the end of the Stalin era, an era of fear and lies. Besides the many hours of courses of indoctrination in Marxism-Leninism and our obligatory participation at meetings and demonstrations, we had to mask our feelings and opinions at all times. Any word spoken aloud could have lead to denunciation and even sudden disappearance. Once again, the human relationships we enjoyed with our teachers and fellow students provided the light that helped overcome those shadows and made the experience of our studies a fruitful and enjoyable one.

Let me now share with you a few reflections about hydrology, the field in which I pursued my research. This is a rather general talk whose main idea was presented at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in December 2005. It deals with hydrology in ancient times and its common ground with modern hydrology.