> 17 topics on land & water, from 6th–5th millennia BCE (Lower Mesopotamia) to 24 November 1874 (DeKalb · Illinois). Source: https://husfarm.com/history/topic/land-and-water/ [Home](https://husfarm.com/)›[History of agriculture](https://husfarm.com/history/)›Land & water[All eras](https://husfarm.com/history/)[Prehistory](https://husfarm.com/history/era/prehistory/)[Antiquity](https://husfarm.com/history/era/antiquity/)[Middle Ages](https://husfarm.com/history/era/middle-ages/)[Early modern](https://husfarm.com/history/era/early-modern/)[Industrial era](https://husfarm.com/history/era/industrial-era/)Agricultural history by subject # Land & water in agricultural history 17 topics on land & water, from 6th–5th millennia BCE (Lower Mesopotamia) to 24 November 1874 (DeKalb · Illinois). Topics17 Time span6,000 BCE – 1874 CE Regions4 Sources cited208 Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Harvesters, 1565 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 19.164 · public domain ## In brief 17 topics from 6,000 BCE to 1874 CE. Most of them come from Asia (7), Americas (5), Europe (4). The earliest is The history of irrigation in ancient Mesopotamia (6th–5th millennia BCE, Lower Mesopotamia); the most recent is Barbed wire and agriculture’s new boundaries (24 November 1874, DeKalb · Illinois). ## Topics in chronological order No topic matches your search. - [6th–5th millennia BCEPrehistoryThe history of irrigation in ancient MesopotamiaIrrigation supports farming on the alluvial plains of southern Mesopotamia. Lower MesopotamiaLand & water5 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/history-of-irrigation-mesopotamia/) - [c. 6600 cal BPPrehistoryBudj Bim: Gunditjmara Aquaculture and Water ManagementChannels, stone barriers and holding ponds enabled Gunditjmara communities to direct water, retain eels and sustain a long-lived food economy. Victoria · AustraliaLand & water6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/budj-bim-gunditjmara-aquaculture-australia/) - [c. 2600–1900 BCEAntiquityIndus agriculture: cities, rivers and two growing seasonsDiverse winter and summer crops supplied the cities and villages of the extensive Harappan civilisation. Indus Valley · Pakistan and IndiaLand & water6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/indus-agriculture-crops-growing-seasons/) - [1st millennium BCE–16th centuryAntiquityAndean agriculture: terraces, raised fields and farming across elevationsHow Andean communities combined hillside terraces, raised fields, diverse crops and food storage. Central Andes · Peru and BoliviaLand & water7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/andean-agriculture-terraces-raised-fields/) - [1st millennium BCE and later historyAntiquityPersian qanats: groundwater and dryland agricultureGently sloping tunnels brought groundwater to fields and settlements, connecting technical knowledge with organised resource sharing. Iranian PlateauLand & water6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/persian-qanats-groundwater-agriculture/) - [Fourth–seventh centuries CEAntiquityDesert Farming in the Negev: From the Nabataeans to ByzantiumTerraces, channels and sustained labour turned episodic runoff into a farming resource, supporting wine production for distant markets. Negev HighlandsLand & water7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/negev-desert-farming-nabataeans-byzantium/) - [c. 450–1450 CEAntiquityHohokam Canals: Farming the Sonoran DesertCanal networks connected fields, settlements and shared work in the Sonoran Desert; their transformation did not mean the disappearance of its peoples. Salt and Gila valleys · ArizonaLand & water7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/hohokam-canals-sonoran-desert-agriculture/) - [Seventh century CEMiddle AgesTerra Preta: How Amazonian Communities Changed Their SoilsSettlement deposits, charcoal and organic inputs reveal how Amazonian communities created and used enduring fertile soils. Amazonia · BrazilLand & water6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/amazonian-dark-earth-terra-preta-agricultural-history/) - [9th–11th centuriesMiddle AgesThree-field farming in medieval EuropeWinter crops, spring crops and fallow form a rotation that reshapes field organisation and the working year. Medieval EuropeLand & water5 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/three-field-system-medieval-agriculture/) - [Ninth–fifteenth centuriesMiddle AgesAngkor: Khmer Water Management and Agricultural LandscapesReservoirs and canals connected fields, settlements and temples. Their history encompasses labour, monsoon variability and gradual regional transformation. Angkor · CambodiaLand & water6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/angkor-water-management-rice-agriculture/) - [c. 900–1521Middle AgesChinampas in the Basin of Mexico: farming between fields and canalsThe history of fixed raised fields linking food production with water transport and the transformation of wetlands. Xochimilco · Basin of MexicoLand & water7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/chinampas-xochimilco-farming-history/) - [9th–11th centuriesMiddle AgesBali’s Subak: A Millennium of Cooperation over Water and RiceCanals, temples and farmers’ agreements formed a system in which water allocation depended on cooperation extending beyond a single field. Bali · IndonesiaLand & water7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/bali-subak-history-irrigation-rice-water-temples/) - [12th–13th centuriesMiddle AgesCistercian Granges: How Monasteries Organised Farming EstatesCistercian houses linked fields, pastures, mills and resource rights into networks of farms. Organisation, diverse labour and market connections underpinned their economy. Yorkshire · EnglandLand & water6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/cistercian-granges-fountains-monastic-farming-estates/) - [Sixteenth–eighteenth centuriesEarly modernIfugao Terraces: Rice, Autonomy and Revised DatingArchaeology revises terrace chronology, revealing local responses to colonialism, diverse farming and the enduring importance of water rights. Ifugao · PhilippinesLand & water7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/ifugao-rice-terraces-history-dating-philippines/) - [Sixteenth–nineteenth centuriesEarly modernEnglish water meadows: earlier fodder from river valleysControlled water flow encouraged early grass growth, linking meadow management with livestock and arable land. Wessex · EnglandLand & water7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/english-water-meadows-wessex-history/) - [1607–1612Early modernBeemster 1612: Turning a Lake into an Agricultural LandscapeMerchant investment, wind-powered drainage and a geometric land division created farmland dependent on continuing water management. Beemster · NetherlandsLand & water6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/beemster-1612-lake-drainage-polder/) - [24 November 1874Industrial eraBarbed wire and agriculture’s new boundariesGlidden’s patent helped industrialise fencing, supporting crop protection and grazing control while intensifying disputes over land. DeKalb · IllinoisLand & water7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/barbed-wire-glidden-1874-agriculture/) ## Where it happened [4Lower Mesopotamia](https://husfarm.com/history/history-of-irrigation-mesopotamia/)[9Victoria · Australia](https://husfarm.com/history/budj-bim-gunditjmara-aquaculture-australia/)[14Indus Valley · Pakistan and India](https://husfarm.com/history/indus-agriculture-crops-growing-seasons/)[17Central Andes · Peru and Bolivia](https://husfarm.com/history/andean-agriculture-terraces-raised-fields/)[17Central Andes · Peru and Bolivia](https://husfarm.com/history/andean-agriculture-terraces-raised-fields/)[18Iranian Plateau](https://husfarm.com/history/persian-qanats-groundwater-agriculture/)[22Negev Highlands](https://husfarm.com/history/negev-desert-farming-nabataeans-byzantium/)[23Salt and Gila valleys · Arizona](https://husfarm.com/history/hohokam-canals-sonoran-desert-agriculture/)[25Amazonia · Brazil](https://husfarm.com/history/amazonian-dark-earth-terra-preta-agricultural-history/)[27Medieval Europe](https://husfarm.com/history/three-field-system-medieval-agriculture/)[28Angkor · Cambodia](https://husfarm.com/history/angkor-water-management-rice-agriculture/)[29Xochimilco · Basin of Mexico](https://husfarm.com/history/chinampas-xochimilco-farming-history/)[32Bali · Indonesia](https://husfarm.com/history/bali-subak-history-irrigation-rice-water-temples/)[34Yorkshire · England](https://husfarm.com/history/cistercian-granges-fountains-monastic-farming-estates/)[43Ifugao · Philippines](https://husfarm.com/history/ifugao-rice-terraces-history-dating-philippines/)[44Wessex · England](https://husfarm.com/history/english-water-meadows-wessex-history/)[45Beemster · Netherlands](https://husfarm.com/history/beemster-1612-lake-drainage-polder/)[68DeKalb · Illinois](https://husfarm.com/history/barbed-wire-glidden-1874-agriculture/) Points mark approximate areas, not exact sites or the borders of ancient cultures. Base map: Natural Earth, public domain. ## Browse by era [Prehistory 13](https://husfarm.com/history/era/prehistory/)[Antiquity 10](https://husfarm.com/history/era/antiquity/)[Middle Ages 16](https://husfarm.com/history/era/middle-ages/)[Early modern 7](https://husfarm.com/history/era/early-modern/)[Industrial era 54](https://husfarm.com/history/era/industrial-era/) ## Browse by region [Asia 20](https://husfarm.com/history/region/asia/)[Europe 34](https://husfarm.com/history/region/europe/)[Americas 29](https://husfarm.com/history/region/americas/)[Africa 5](https://husfarm.com/history/region/africa/)[Oceania 4](https://husfarm.com/history/region/oceania/)[Intercontinental 8](https://husfarm.com/history/region/global/) ## Browse by subject [Domestication & settlement 11](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/domestication/)[Land & water 17](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/land-and-water/)[Food processing 3](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/food-processing/)[Technology & breeding 15](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/technology-breeding/)[Science & experiments 16](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/science-and-experiments/)[Trade & exchange 9](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/trade-and-exchange/)[Environment & crises 11](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/environment-and-crises/)[Society & land 16](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/society-and-land/)[Crop exchange 2](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/crop-exchange/) ## Questions and answers ### Which is the earliest topic in this subject? The history of irrigation in ancient Mesopotamia: 6th–5th millennia BCE, Present-day Iraq · Tigris and Euphrates valleys. ### Which is the most recent? Barbed wire and agriculture’s new boundaries: 24 November 1874: Glidden’s patent; development from the 1860s, DeKalb, Illinois; the US plains and wider technological circulation. ### Which regions are covered? Asia (7), Americas (5), Europe (4), Oceania (1). ### Which eras do these topics belong to? Prehistory (2), Antiquity (5), Middle Ages (6), Early modern (3), Industrial era (1). ## Agriculture today on Husfarm From history to the present: prices, shows and the companies that shape farming now. [Agricultural events 2027→](https://husfarm.com/events/)[Archive of agricultural shows by year→](https://husfarm.com/events/archive/)[The world’s largest agricultural companies→](https://husfarm.com/agribusiness/)[Today’s agricultural wholesale prices→](https://husfarm.com/prices/) [← History of agriculture: all topics](https://husfarm.com/history/) --- Husfarm: https://husfarm.com/ · Site guide for agents: https://husfarm.com/llms.txt