Hydraulic landscapes and imperial power in the Near East

Over the past 20 years archaeological surveys and remote sensing have contributed significantly to the discovery of ancient hydraulic systems in the Middle East. The significance of this increase, namely in the scale and number of canals, conduits and qanats, is examined and related to the role of power and the administration of the later territorial empires which date from the first millennium BC and later. We demonstrate that hydraulic systems spread into the rain-fed zone of northern Iraq, Syria and southern Turkey, especially during the past 3000 years. These systems contributed to the intensification of agricultural production and to the colonization of the Near Eastern landscape.