In
the early Babylonian period, if a farmer left the water running in his
channel, and it flooded his neighbour's field and hurt his crop, he had
to pay compensation according to the amount of damage done.
It was stated above that the irrigation-canals and little channels were
made above the level of the soil so that the water could at any point
be tapped and allowed to flow over the surrounding land; and in a flat
country like Babylonia it will be obvious that some means had to be
employed for raising the water from its natural level to the higher
level of the land. As we should expect, reference is made in the
Babylonian inscriptions to irrigation-machines, and, although their
exact form and construction are not described, they must have been very
similar to those employed at the present day. The modern inhabitants of
Mesopotamia employ four sorts of contrivances for raising the water into
their irrigation-channels; three of these are quite primitive, and are
those most commonly employed. The method which gives the least trouble
and which is used wherever the conditions allow is a primitive form of
water-wheel. This can be used only in a river with a good current.
The wheel is formed of rough boughs and branches nailed together, with
spokes joining the outer rims to a roughly hewn axle. A row of rough
earthenware cups or bottles are tied round the outer rim for picking
up the water, and a few rough paddles are fixed so that they stick out
beyond the rim.
Pages:
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317