The Ancient Mesopotamian Kingdom of Assyria was built around the Tigris River in the Middle East. Mesopotamia means “between the rivers” and describes the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This area had fertile soil, also called silt. The silt was used for growing early crops such as grapes, wheat, and barley.

The Tigris River carried a lot of silt and sediment. Its banks were prone to flooding due to the quick and unpredictable flow of water. This threatened to wash away homes and fields of crops.

In order to safely live along the Tigris River, the Mesopotamians needed water infrastructure – a system of levees and canals built to control the unpredictable water. Levees are a type of wall blocking the flow of water, and canals are waterways guiding water where it is needed. Using this system, Mesopotamians could irrigate or water their crops by digging through the canal wall to bring in water. To stop the flow, the canal walls were rebuilt.

Each farmer had to have a canal next to their fields for this to work, creating a complex system of waterways throughout the kingdom. One of the most important duties of the Assyrian government was to maintain these canals. They were crucial for agriculture and food production.