water resources management in the achaemenid civilization

Iranians have always continuously endeavored to improve their abilities in finding, storing, delivering, protecting, and administering water resources. depending on the geo-climatological features of the region, needs, resources (surface water and groundwater), tools, political stability, economic, and cultural characteristics, they have practiced different strategies to deal with water-related problems. this study is a brief history of water management water in the achaemenid era. the results indicate the achaemenids established the first persian empire in the area with insufficient rainfall and limited rivers. in this era, development of water resources through qanat digging, canal excavation, and dam construction gave the iranians opportunity to grow their agriculture and economy in dryland regions, especially in the central iranian plateau. hydraulic infrastructure could also create a cooperative environment among benifeciery communities to improve their life by constructing, maintaining, and using their structures. to fulfill goals, however, government support and incentives were the key to success. despite all the efforts of the achaemenids to keep water resources viable, territorial conflicts and political tensions were the main reasons for the stagnation and collapse of water systems. similar impacts were repeated in later persian empires like sassanid, safavid, and qajar. another problem that continued to pahlavi’s era was the nomadic culture of iran, making centralized water resources management difficult. the supremacy of royals, politicians and military forces over the rest of the society can be also mentioned as a structural problem that impacted different areas of development.

Water Resources Management in the Achaemenid Civilization

Iranians have always continuously endeavored to improve their abilities in finding, storing, delivering, protecting, and administering water resources. Depending on the geo-climatological features of the region, needs, resources (surface water and groundwater), tools, political stability, economic, and cultural characteristics, they have practiced different strategies to deal with water-related problems. This study is a brief history of water management water in the Achaemenid Era. The results indicate the Achaemenids established the first Persian Empire in the area with insufficient rainfall and limited rivers. In this era, development of water resources through qanat digging, canal excavation, and dam construction gave the Iranians opportunity to grow their agriculture and economy in dryland regions, especially in the central Iranian plateau. Hydraulic infrastructure could also create a cooperative environment among benifeciery communities to improve their life by constructing, maintaining, and using their structures. To fulfill goals, however, government support and incentives were the key to success. Despite all the efforts of the Achaemenids to keep water resources viable, territorial conflicts and political tensions were the main reasons for the stagnation and collapse of water systems. Similar impacts were repeated in later Persian empires like Sassanid, Safavid, and Qajar. Another problem that continued to Pahlavi’s Era was the nomadic culture of Iran, making centralized water resources management difficult. The supremacy of royals, politicians and military forces over the rest of the society can be also mentioned as a structural problem that impacted different areas of development.