Sunday, January 4, 2009
East Ballroom Foyer (Hilton New York)
Qanat irrigation systems tap groundwater supplies and deliver water to users at a great distance from the source. These underground aqueducts have several efficiency advantages over other methods of water delivery in arid environments. Both abandoned and functioning qanats are widespread throughout the Central Plateau of Iran, where they are presumed to have originated. Qanats are also identified in the Western Desert of Egypt, probably dating to the period of Persian rule in the 6th Century BCE. Local versions of qanats are also identified throughout the Mediterranean region and the Mideast.
This poster will reflect on some of the geographical sites I have explored in depth in my dissertation research, and will draw on some of the major conclusions I have made in my dissertation. In the period from January 2007 – August 2008, I will have completed all site-specific research for my dissertation in International/Global History. Sites of investigation include the arid mountainous plateau of Iran, a traditional qanat landscape; the Western Desert of Egypt, where there is evidence for qanats in ancient oasis agriculture; the mountainous agricultural systems of medieval Islamic Spain; and the agricultural mountainous landscapes of Northern Ethiopia.
I will use maps; visual data; illustrations of technologies and landscapes; and my own photographic records to illustrate the conclusions of my dissertation research in a poster session in January 2009.
My dissertation research explores methodological and analytical questions surrounding the history of qanat irrigation technologies in a few specific landscapes. Among these questions are: Was there a transfer of technique from one region to another, i.e., was it a case of technology transfer or technological diffusion? What are the appropriate historical and archaeological methods to investigate this? Are qanat irrigation systems particularly appropriate to arid-zone agriculture? Were existing local practices supporting technical knowledge about qanats? How does the historian measure sustainable water use over the long term? Are qanats more sustainable than other groundwater extraction methods?
This poster will reflect on some of the geographical sites I have explored in depth in my dissertation research, and will draw on some of the major conclusions I have made in my dissertation. In the period from January 2007 – August 2008, I will have completed all site-specific research for my dissertation in International/Global History. Sites of investigation include the arid mountainous plateau of Iran, a traditional qanat landscape; the Western Desert of Egypt, where there is evidence for qanats in ancient oasis agriculture; the mountainous agricultural systems of medieval Islamic Spain; and the agricultural mountainous landscapes of Northern Ethiopia.
I will use maps; visual data; illustrations of technologies and landscapes; and my own photographic records to illustrate the conclusions of my dissertation research in a poster session in January 2009.
My dissertation research explores methodological and analytical questions surrounding the history of qanat irrigation technologies in a few specific landscapes. Among these questions are: Was there a transfer of technique from one region to another, i.e., was it a case of technology transfer or technological diffusion? What are the appropriate historical and archaeological methods to investigate this? Are qanat irrigation systems particularly appropriate to arid-zone agriculture? Were existing local practices supporting technical knowledge about qanats? How does the historian measure sustainable water use over the long term? Are qanats more sustainable than other groundwater extraction methods?