Agriculture in the east was often blighted by erratic rainfall in a harsh landscape. Farmers soon realised that irrigation systems, like canals and dams, were ideal for storing and transporting the water they needed for 'dry-farming' in these areas. In Mesopotamia, the Euphrates and Tigris rivers were unpredictable and could often swell after sowing season, flooding the crops. Storage basins were therefore used to collect the surplus water, and a canal system was constructed to distribute it as needed to the fields.
