Irrigation System in Ancient Mesopotamia

Abstract

Hunter-gatherer groups first began agriculture in Mesopotamia more than 12000 years ago. Over time, these groups learned how to plant crops in Mesopotamia to produce their own food. Each year, the floods of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates brought silt to the land, a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks. The fertile silt has made the region ideal for farming. Though there was fertile soil in Mesopotamia, farming was not easy there. There was little rain in the area. This meant that the levels of water in the rivers Tigris and Euphrates depended on how much rain fell in the east, where the two rivers fell. Water levels were very high after a significant amount of rain fell there. The floods damaged crops, killed animals, and washed away houses, and the crops dried up when the water levels became too low. The farmers realized that they needed a way to regulate the flow of the rivers. Thus, in both the rainy and dry seasons, early farmers faced the difficulties of learning how to regulate the flow of river water to their fields, and early settlements in Mesopotamia were situated near rivers. They could not regulate the water, and flooding was a big issue. Later, people constructed canals to safeguard houses from floods and pass water to their fields. Mesopotamians used irrigation, a method of providing water to a region of land, to solve their problems. They dug out large storage basins to carry water sources to irrigate their property. Then they dug canals, rivers created by humans, linking these basins to a network of ditches. These ditches supplied the fields with water. The farmers constructed the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates in order to protect their fields from flooding. Even when river levels were heavily irrigated, these built-up banks held back flood waters, raising the amount of food farmers were able to produce. Farmers may potentially generate a food surplus, or more than they need. Farmers have also used irrigation for cattle and sheep to water grazing areas. Mesopotamians consumed a number of foods as a result. There was abundant fish, meat, wheat, barley, and dates since irrigation made farmers more productive, farming required fewer individuals. Some individuals have been free to do other work. As a consequence, new occupations have grown. People became crafters, religious figures, and government employees for the first time. A division of labor is called the type of arrangement in which each worker specializes in a specific assignment or task.