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Shaduf Irrigation

Type Object Region Nile basin Time c. -2000

The shaduf is an irrigation device using a lever and counterweight to lift river or well water to field level, long used in the Nile basin and wester…

Timeline

  1. c. 1–200Nile Valley, Egypt · EgyptDuring Roman rule of Egypt, shadufs were used in conjunction with canal systems to bring river water to fields above the riverbed, supporting crop rotation of wheat and barley.
  2. c. 200–500From south of the Second Cataract to the delta · Nile basinIn the 3rd–5th centuries CE, shaduf technology spread along the Nile to Nubian agricultural regions, fitting the irrigation needs of the Kush–Meroë kingdom and Byzantine Egypt, and became a low-barrier water-lifting solution.

Sources