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6000 BCE
Choga Mami
In the eastern region of Iraq near the border of Iran lays the site of the Choga Mami. This site is important because it is one of the earliest case of irrigation being used. The irrigation supported livestock and crops which led to a relationship between north and south Mesopotamian cultures. With a mixture of cultures new grains and ceramic styles were introduced. -
6000 BCE
Ancient Egypt
Due to the Nile river flooding months at a time the Egyptians diverted water away from the cities to the farms to grow crops. Around 3100 BCE dams were built but due to uncertainty of the floods they would bust and flood homes of the lower class. Evidence suggest the Pharaoh Amenemhet III used the the natural lake of the Faiyum Oasis as a reservoir to store water during the dry seasons. Due to this if the Nile was flooded it would overflow the oasis and into the areas. -
5000 BCE
Ximen Bao
Ximen Bao is another hydraulic engineer from China. Unlike his counterpart Sunshu Ao he is credited as the first engineer to create a large canal irrigation system. He also believed that the people should stop sacrificing people to the water god He Bo. -
2000 BCE
Hydraulic engineers
Hydraulic engineers have been around since the beginning. The main purpose was to irrigate crops utilizing water from different source or to keep water from flooding cities. One of the first inventions was the water clock which was used to measure time by the flow of water. -
Period: 630 BCE to 593 BCE
Sunshu Ao
Is considered one of Chinas first hydraulic engineers. He is credited in numerous books about his work building dams, reservoirs, and irrigation projects. Some of the reservoirs and the irrigation that was designed to prevent flooding is still in use today. -
Period: 437 BCE to 300 BCE
Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka they built some of the most complex irrigations in the ancient world. These irrigations included some of the first under ground canals and artificial reservoirs to store water. These reservoirs or tanks were so well built they are an engineering marvel. There are some of these reservoirs that are still used today. -
Period: 312 BCE to 537
Roman aqueducts
The Romans built aqueducts to bring in water from outside sources to supply public baths, latrines, fountains, and private households. The Roman engineers built these aqueducts to contour to the terrain and when they ran into valleys they built massive bridgeworks that can still be seen today. -
Period: 280 BCE to
Water mills
Irrigation has led to many creations since the beginning. One of which is the water mill it's intended purpose was for the production of material goods such as flour, lumber, paper, textiles, and many metal products. They did this by utilizing wheels and gears that were forced by water pressure coming down stream for hydropower. This was originally created by the Greeks but has been used world wide by many civilizations some are still in use today. -
256 BCE
Ancient China
The Dujiangyan is an ancient irrigation system located in China. During those time the people who lived along the Min River experienced flooding annually due to the snow melting and flowing into the river. The Qin state had hydrologist Li Bing investigate the problem and recommended a dam but Qin said no due to wanting to keep water ways open to the frontier for military support. So they built artificial levees to divert portions of the waters to the Chengdu Plain. -
1441
Korea
A Korean engineer named Jang Yeong-sil invented the worlds first water gauge. During the Joseon Dynasty agriculture was the main economy of Korea. Korea was subjected to droughts so they needed to know how to best manage water. This allowed farmers to know how much water they could use for farming. -
1500
Water meadows
Water meadows are a grassland subjected for controlled irrigation. The reason for this was to increase the amount of farm land to be utilized. They were commonly used in Europe from the 16th to 20th century. Due to this type of irrigation technique it is claimed that farm land in Britain grew 10-30%. -
1500
Somalian Ajuran Empire
Was the only hydraulic empire in Africa. They learned to monopolize the water resources, They constructed some of the first limestone wells and cisterns that are still in use. They developed new agriculture systems and taxation that was used till the 19th century. -
Period: 1500 to
Canals
The first summit level canal to use pound locks in Europe was the Briare Canal connecting the Loire and Seine. Canals were important to history due to the fact they could be used for drainage. During the Scientific revolution they were utilized more for transportation. Some canals built during these times saved time and resources by connecting many cities and opening diverse trading. -
Britain canals
During the 1700s Britain started to improve her water way for travel. They did this by widening, removing, straightening, and deepening rivers. This allowed easier transportation throughout the country. Before material was moved by horse and carts which were slow with this improved travel it increased supply movement. -
United Kingdom canals
During the Industrial Revolution the UK was the first country to develop a nationwide canal systems. Doing this cause a great change in the economy from the canals. They supported industries to make the UK the worlds first industrial power and led to wealth that created the British empire. They built new canals, greatly improved older ones, created new embankments, tunnels, aqueducts, and cuttings. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution brought us many things during this time that revolved around irrigation. Steam became a major use factories were built closer to water ways to utilized this techniques. Factories became heavily dependent on the need for water to power their machinery. Due to this and barely any safety measure a lot of water ways were polluted heavily and damages are still being repaired even today. -
Steam pumps and iron pipes
Before the Industrial revolution to move water you had to rely on gravity. With the invention of steam pumps and iron pipes they were able to move water faster and at greater distances to factories and farms.