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Imperial irrigated landscapes in the Balikh Valley

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Abstract

This research presents the results of an interdisciplinary study which examined how increased adoption of water management technologies from the Hellenistic–Early Islamic period transformed the formerly marginal and rain-fed Balikh Valley of Syria into a productive landscape. Data including CORONA satellite images, topographical models and archaeological surveys were used to identify and analyse systems of canals, qanats and tunnels. Analysis of this identified a peak in the use of irrigation in the later imperial period, especially at the time of the Early Islamic empire when the city of Raqqa attained enhanced political significance, with indications that ancient systems were able to utilise most of the available water resources in the valley. Water management activity also appears to have led to changes in the environment of the Balikh, such as the formation and drainage of marshes and re-routing of existing hydraulic networks.

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Acknowledgments

I am particularly grateful for the encouragement and advice of my supervisor Tony Wilkinson. I am also grateful to the Fragile Crescent Project of Durham University for providing settlement survey data and to two reviewers for their comments. I would also like to thank the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health, Durham University, for funding my Ph.D research.

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  1. School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    Louise Rayne

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  1. Louise Rayne
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Correspondence to Louise Rayne.

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Rayne, L. Imperial irrigated landscapes in the Balikh Valley. Water Hist 7, 419–440 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12685-015-0128-8

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