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This project is a study of the frequent and destructive floods that plagued ancient Rome during the Roman Republic and Empire. It will analyze the obvious physical consequences produced by these events on the urban landscape, the effects that these natural disasters had on the course of Roman political and social history, and the psychological and sociological aspects of how such occurrences were perceived and interpreted by the Romans. Ancient Rome depended on water for the functioning of its economy and for its very survival, but at the same time the Tiber River could be a violent and unpredictable destructive force. This project is an interdisciplinary investigation combining history, archaeology, hydrology, geology, and urban and environmental studies, in order to examine how the largest pre-modern city dealt with the threat of natural disaster. The book that I plan to write will explore the nature of this conflict, and the complex interrelationship between humans and water that was played out amongst the urban topography of ancient Rome.