Which civilization invented irrigation

In fact, civilization would probably not be possible without some form of irrigation. People have been building canals since the earliest civilizations were formed in Mesopotamia. These early canals were used for irrigation and over time people started building larger canals to use for transportation. While these ancient canals no longer exist, the canals on this list have been in operation hundreds of years.

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Useful tips Which civilization invented irrigation canals? Useful tips. The canals were modified somewhat during this time.

Different cross-sectional areas were used, and some were lined with stone slabs. During this time, crops were irrigated with more carefully controlled water as opposed to the earlier methods of somewhat haphazard flooding. Between and B. The channelization of streambeds, along with the excavation of canals and the construction of dams, was probably the most significant.

In a brief period, the technology of canal irrigation improved significantly; however, the technology stopped developing after B. Around C. The Hohokam and the Chaco regional systems stand out as two of the major prehistoric developments in the American Southwest.

These two systems expanded over broad geographic areas of similar size the Hohokam in Arizona and the Chacoans in New Mexico. These systems were of the similar time period but seemed to have developed and functioned independently, with little interaction.

The Chaco and the Hohokam systems evolved in quite different environments, having considerably different irrigation infrastructure. These Hohokam Indian canal builders were given the name later by the Pima Indians. Even though the Indians of Arizona began limited farming nearly 3, years ago, the construction of the Hohokam irrigation systems probably did not begin until a few centuries C. It is unknown who originated the idea of irrigation in Arizona, whether it was local technology or introduced to them from cultures in Mexico.

A major flood in ultimately destroyed the canal networks, resulting in movement of the people. Canal use was either quite limited or entirely absent among the Pima Indians, who were the successors to the Hohokams Indians.

The prehistoric people who lived outside the Hohokam culture area also constructed irrigation systems, but none was of near the grand scale as the Hohokam irrigation systems. This basin has limited surface water , with most surface discharge from ephemeral washes and arroyos. The water collected from the side canyon that drained from the upper mesa top was diverted by either an earth or a masonry dam near the month of the side canyon into a canal.

These canals averaged 4. These canals ended at a masonry headgate. Water was then diverted to the fields in small ditches or into overflow ponds and small reservoirs.

Adams, R. Biswas, A. History of Hydrology. Amsterdam, Netherlands: North-Holland, Butzer, K. Early Hydraulic Civilization in Egypt.

Doolittle, W. Canal Irrigation in Prehistoric Mexico. Austin: University of Texas Press, Neugebauer, O. These are just a few of the main methods of irrigation used by ancient cultures. Many global civilizations found ingenious ways to access water for farm irrigation — from natural water flow to building water wheels, canals, trenches, wells, and many other methods, many of which are still in use today.

Modern history and technology has created efficient agricultural irrigation systems that can supply water to fields located away from natural sources of water. Thankfully, there are agricultural irrigation system supply companies conveniently available to help farmers keep crops watered and growing wherever they are located!

You must be logged in to post a comment. Previous Next. View Larger Image. Agricultural Irrigation Through History For thousands of years, irrigation was used by ancient civilizations to provide water to fertile yet arid lands. Based on geography, available water sources, and annual flooding, various regions used different methods to get water from rivers to planted crops in the following ways: Basin Irrigation — Up to years ago, people along the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile River Basin in Egypt relied on annual river flooding to supply water to their fields.

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