Mesopotamia Water System

In a region where there is little or no rainfall, access to the water from two mighty rivers has always been crucial. By 3500 BCE the rivers flooded every year in springs, people were building dams and growing large quantities of food in the area's rich soil. Mesopotamians built canals to distribute water to different parts of land, uniting thousands of villagers. People raised cattle and sheep. The plough was invented here, and the potter's wheel that was previously used just for pottery evolved into the wheels that let carts transport goods to markets, and to carry officials in ceremonial processions. The Mesopotamians' need to control the water for these uses gave solidity to their political leaders, and led to the development of the city-state;