6,000-Year-Old Irrigation System Unearthed in Eridu, Iraq

Archaeologists have discovered a 6,000-year-old irrigation system in the Eridu region of southern Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq. The discovery, announced in March 2025, highlights the sophisticated water management techniques of ancient farmers. The team, led by geoarchaeologist Jaafar Jotheri, included researchers from Durham University, Newcastle University, and the University of Al-Qadisiyah in Iraq. The ancient network consists of over 200 main canals connected to the Euphrates River, along with more than 4,000 smaller canals, irrigating over 700 farms. This system demonstrates how ancient populations utilized the Euphrates River for agriculture from the sixth to the first millennium BC. The Eridu region's unique preservation, due to a shift in the Euphrates' course around the early first millennium BC, allowed the irrigation landscape to remain intact. Researchers combined geological surveys, satellite imagery (including declassified 1960s CORONA spy satellite images), drone photography, and fieldwork to map the ancient canals. The study reveals that farmers strategically used the natural landscape, including river levees and crevasse splays, to distribute water efficiently. The project was funded by the British Institute for the Study of Iraq. Further research aims to date each canal and compare the designs with ancient cuneiform texts to understand changes in farming practices and agricultural management in Mesopotamia.