Watermills (grain mills, waulk mills, olive mills, sawmills and
threshing machines) operated in the Basilicata Region from the Roman
Period until the early decades of the twentieth century, representing an
important feature of waterways that is today almost totally forgotten. Using
documentary sources, ancient maps and field survey it is possible to
catalogue and identify the location of these ancient hydraulic structures.
Watermills were usually placed far enough away from the river to avoid
inundation during floods, and near natural knickpoints or artificial steps
in the river long profile that were created by mill engineers. Mill construction
often had significant impacts on a rivers morphology, because
it was necessary to divert the river discharge towards the mill wheel, to
drive the grain-grinding mechanism. Watermill typological variations
have been examined in relation to variations in river pattern to assess
the ways in which the hydrographic and hydrological settings of the Basilicata
Region have affected mill siting and operation. Most Basilicata
watermills were built with a horizontal water-wheel and a tower. The
characteristics of the tower and the associated hydraulic structures varied
according to the environmental setting. Finally, mill positions define
also the locations on the river system that have already been used
to exploit hydraulic power and thus could be useful for future use in the
micro-hydroelectric secto
