In ancient times rain in the Mediterranean area tended to be in the winter only and then in huge amounts. At first, the Mediterranean people would choose a site for a town based on potentials for permanent and intermittent springs, wells, cisterns, and pipelines.
Springs are natural flows of water at the surface of accessible caves.
In some cases artesian wells were utilized. An artesian well is a spring where water flows upward to the surface, under pressure from below. The people would also dig wells. A well is a shaft into the ground from which water seeps in to be drawn or pumped up by people. Cisterns were also utilized as water-holders constructed below the ground surface and water proofed.