NMC102H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Mudbrick, Basket Weaving, Sennacherib
31 May 2015
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Document Summary
Northern mesopotamia is bounded to the north by mountains. Agriculture cannot be sustained unless you have 200 mm of rainfall annually. Wheat, barley (south), lentils (north and west), vines, olives. Barley is tolerant of dry conditions; used for beer. Dates have high calorific value; 4-8 years before they bear fruit; useful by-products (fibres, wood, can be used for purposes such a construction or basket weaving) King sennacherib of assyria (704 - 681 bce) built extensive waterworks (aqueducts and man- made canals); people moving into his city needed to be supplied with water in the site of. Wanted to water its fields and supply pop"n with water. At very local level, small farmers might have been responsible for digging their own small canals to connect to the large one, so they could get water supply for themselves. Southern mesopotamia needs reliable annual rainfall, it lies in the region where you cannot do agriculture without intervention; does not have annual rainfall.
