Rescue Archaeology in the Middle Euphrates Valley

Abstract

Water! The pursuit of reliable, clean supplies of water is increasingly a critical issue for all countries of the Middle East. In the UK, we are familiar with 'drought orders' recently applied in SE England involving the likes of hose pipe bans. But rather than the maintenance of green lawns, in the Middle East it can be a matter of life and death. Accounts of dramatically lower water tables, like those causing the entry of chemical fertilisers into the drinking water system in parts of Jordan or farmers' wells now dug over 100 m deep in the Balikh valley without tapping water, are legion. To mitigate these problems, Turkey, Syria and Iraq have made enormous strides in harnessing one of the great rivers of the world, the Euphrates. For several decades now, increased controls have led to more reliable supplies for irrigation, electricity and other purposes. When comparing mid-20th century maps of the river with today's Google World images, one can see the change is dramatic, from a ribbon to a series of elongated lakes. And archaeology has been involved to greater or lesser extents in the creation of each of these lakes.