Water for Assyria

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Lying within a 600 to 200 mm annual precipitation range, the core region of Assyria extends from the Zagros piedmont to Ashur. Traditionally, scholars have argued that water was not economically significant for Assyria and that the Assyrians lacked expertise in hydraulic technology and water management. It was believed that Assyrian kings, particularly Sennacherib (704–681 BC), constructed the waterworks at Nimrud and Nineveh solely for royal gardens and prestige. Water management outside the core region was largely unrecognized. However, the discovery of a supra-regional water guidance system in NE Syria in the 1980s, a reevaluation of Assyrian cuneiform sources in 2000, the use of remote sensing in landscape archaeology, and recent fieldwork in Iraq's Kurdistan region have led to a revised understanding of Assyrian water management. Evidence now shows that the Assyrians had a longstanding tradition of water engineering, utilizing innovative technologies like aqueducts. They undertook numerous Grand Projects during the Middle and Neo-Assyrian Empires (c. 1350–612 BC), which enhanced agricultural productivity, ensured drinking water supply for people and animals, supported population growth, and facilitated transportation. This volume presents ongoing project results and insights into this dynamic, multi-disciplinary research area.