The Hohokam Native American society flourished for almost 1500 years in what is today central Arizona. Part of that long, rich history can be attributed to a breakthrough water technology: canals. Beginning around 300 C.E., the Hohokam people settled the arid desert environment of the Gila and Salt River Valley, an area that encompasses present-day […]
Tag Archives: Irrigation
Discovering an Ancient Hydraulic System Rewrites Chinese Engineering History
May 24, 2018
Comments Off on Discovering an Ancient Hydraulic System Rewrites Chinese Engineering History
It was as true 5000 years ago as it is today: losing all your food in a flood is a major disappointment. For the people living in the Yangtze River Delta along the eastern coast of present-day China, it was also the impetus behind one of the oldest and largest formal water management systems in […]
Ancient Iranian Civilization Owes Its Existence to Remarkable Water Management System
April 30, 2018
Comments Off on Ancient Iranian Civilization Owes Its Existence to Remarkable Water Management System
If you and your pals were planning to start a new civilization, you would probably think twice about settling in the middle of a desert that receives less than 127 mm (5 in.) of rainfall per year. But such practical concerns didn’t faze the Persians entering the desert in present-day Iran more than 3000 years […]
March 27, 2019
Comments Off on Ancient Engineering Lays Groundwork for Major Canal System in Arizona