| Abstrakt: |
In this article, the system of canal irrigation that was practised in the Zerqa Triangle (Jordan Valley) will be analysed with a view to perceiving power relations and instances of regional cooperation. A similar system of canal irrigation was used on and off for at least three millennia. The irrigation systems and the social structure of the local communities of three very different periods will be compared, i.e. the early twentieth century, the Mamluk period (1250-1516 AD) and the Iron Age IIa/b period (1000-725 BC). It will be argued that cooperation between the inhabitants of this region has always been of paramount importance for the effective functioning of the irrigation system. All inhabitants are part of one and the same irrigation community that must accept and abide by a shared set of rules and regulations concerning the irrigation system. However, this communality does not preclude the rise of unbalanced power relations. The link between these power relations and the irrigation system will be discussed for each of the three case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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