It’s always important, when considering desert archaeology, to focus on water. This is because it is the essential element, and there is only three sources in the ancient world that were typically available.
The first is either running water or an annual spring. The deep interest in Artesian wells, where water is pushed up from below ground, was long known in both Syria and Egypt. Such wells were priceless, and were often surrounded by fortifications, being both easier to defend, and important to keep out of enemy hands.
In the absence of groundwater or springs, the other alternatives were man made wells or capturing a brief, annual rain. In the former case, if groundwater was deep, as is often the case in deserts, large excavations were needed underground, not just for recovering water, but as a cool refuge from the hot sun.
In the case of captured rainwater, both enormous live rock cisterns had to be built, and rain drainage had to be designed to direct water to the cistern.
So in the absence of groundwater, the assumption must be that there would be a substantial underground development. The Romans went so far as to mine underground aquifers to transport water miles to where it was needed.
The great aqueduct built to supply Constantinople kept a purpose-built barrel vaulted cistern which lay under part of the city, and (since it was a planned development, did double duty as a way to level the building surface. :’)
Rome’s Tremendous Tunnel [100 kilometers long, century to dig it]
Speigel | Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | Matthias Schulz
Posted on 03/13/2009 8:35:55 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2206315/posts
Rome’s Tremendous Tunnel
SpiegelOnLine | 03/11/2009 | By Matthias Schulz
Posted on 04/19/2009 4:27:23 AM PDT by Fred Nerks
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2232683/posts
Claudius Naumachia on Fucine Lake (Those About To Die, chap III)
Those About To Die (via Kurt Saxon) | 1950s (I believe) | Daniel P. Mannix
Posted on 11/24/2005 7:45:06 AM PST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1527955/posts
The Tunnel of Samos (Over 1000 Meters Sixth Century BC)
Cal Tech Engineering and Science | N/A | Tom M. Apostol
Posted on 04/03/2009 4:45:40 PM PDT by raybbr
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2221910/posts