ancient canals
Old irrigation ditches
Ancient canals are waterways constructed by early civilizations for irrigation, transportation, or drainage.
The phrase appears in discussions of archaeological sites and historical engineering: The ancient canals of Mesopotamia transformed desert into farmland.
It can also refer metaphorically to long-established channels or pathways: the ancient canals of bureaucracy.
- Ancient EgyptPharaonic Nile civilization
- MesopotamiaTigris-Euphrates river region
- sluicesGated water conduits
- BabyloniansAncient Mesopotamian civilization
- Fertile CrescentMideast arc where civilization began
Sumerians · irrigation · crop irrigation · water management · river diversion · water reservoirs · silted up · flood control · aqueducts · locks · shaduf · Suzhou · Hammurabi · Angkor Wat · drainage systems · Ganges Delta · urbanization · Persian Empire