In Mesopotamia, the region of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris and their tributaries, the formation of old civilizations depended on water for drinking, agriculture, traffic and trade. Living aquatic resources like fish, crustacea, molluscs and turtles contributed substantially to feeding the growing human population.
Annual floods, originating from rainfall and meltwater in the highlands of Anatolia and the Zagros Mountains, transported large amounts of pebble and fertile silt downstream; rivers frequently changed their channels, often with catastrophic consequences. During highest water‐levels (April–June) wide areas were flooded until water ran off or evaporated in the hot climate. Swamps with reed thickets and lakes (Hors) developed in the depressions. Floods became less dangerous when rivers were regulated with dams and canals, and when irrigation was implemented in the south, from at least 5000 BCE. The many waters were productive areas for fishing.
Investigations have shown that...
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Sahrhage, D. (2008). Fishing in Mesopotamia. In: Selin, H. (eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_8592
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