2007-10-02 00:09:07 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Anthropology
Due to the contemporary existence of Mesopotamia and Egypt, there is confusion as to who actually developed the first irrigation system. In my opinion, it was kind of a joint project. indirectly.
Well first off, Mesopotamians did not develop irrigation, they improved on it. Irrigation was developed in Egypt, possibly up to 200 years before the people of Sumer had it.
In Egypt, the Nile floods at the same times every year, giving the Egyptians a sort of calendar that they could harvest based on. They developed effective irrigation systems that could reach far into the desert, allowing them to harvest up to 4 crops per year, as opposed to the 1 crop per year in the United States.
In Mesopotamia, however, the flooding of the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates was much less predictable, meaning that the people of the fertile crescent had no idea when flood would strike. During the time of Sumer, these people improved upon the Egyptians' irrigation system, allowing for the spontaneous drainage of more water than what was needed in Egypt.
This allowed the Mesopotamians to harvest their crops without the need to worry about the lost of crops, for both health and monetary reasons.
2007-10-04 16:24:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mesopotamia, the land between two rivers, is part of the fertile crescent. The rivers are the Euphrates and the Tigris. The northern part of Mesopotamia is a plateau. The southern part is an alluvial plain. The soil of ancient Mesopotamia was dry and the climate was hot. The rivers were very unpredictable and there were few natural resources.
This may caused the ancient people of Mesopotamia to develop a system of irrigation
2007-10-02 00:14:41 · answer #2 · answered by nijas 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
NECESSITY MY DEAR FELLOW.
As the population increased, the need for food also increased. So they had to find a way to make more food grow in the available space.
Someone once said, "Necessity is the mother of inventions".
I guess that means realizing you need someone gives birth to an idea.
2007-10-02 07:12:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably the same reason that gardeners all over the country are setting up sprinkler systems. They want to water their veggies.
2007-10-02 00:12:34 · answer #4 · answered by Rosie_0801 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
POPULATION EXPANSION REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF ARABLE LAND AND IT WAS NECESSARY TO MOVE WATER INTO ARID LANDS IN ORDER TO FEED THE POPULATION.
2007-10-02 03:31:56 · answer #5 · answered by Loren S 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They had to water their crops. End of story.
2007-10-02 03:50:28 · answer #6 · answered by Lilith 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Dry soil...
2016-05-19 00:06:06 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋