Royal inscriptions and archival documents from the Pre-Sargonic city- or petty state of Lagash (c. 2475–2315 BC) offer the earliest cuneiform evidence of an advanced irrigation system. These sources offer valuable insights into the location, structure, construction, use and maintenance of canal networks and hydraulic devices, as well as irrigation-related governance practices.

Many facets of Mesopotamian irrigation have already been examined by recent research. Schrakamp has established the technical and administrative aspects of the Pre-Sargonic Lagash irrigation system, while Zanetti has reconstructed the hydrography of the Lagash region in the Ur III period (2110–2004 BC). However, a detailed study of the hydrography of the Lagash region during the Pre-Sargonic period is still needed. The present study therefore aims to reconstruct the canal network of Lagash as accurately as possible during this period.

This will be achieved by combining philological data from cuneiform sources with archaeological and geographical evidence within the HyMes project. This will enable the hydrography of Pre-Sargonic Lagash to be situated within a broader institutional, economic and social context and provide a diachronic perspective on the hydrography in 3rd millennium southern Mesopotamia.

Betreuer/in: PD Dr. Ingo Schrakamp (Freie Universität Berlin, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg), Univ.-Prof. Dr. Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum (Freie Universität Berlin).