Water shortage in Jordan since prehistoric times - Lessons from history

Jordan is one of the world's most water-scarce countries. Therefore, water management has been of utmost importance throughout history. While the earliest settlements were situated next to rare perennial water sources, water collecting and storage systems were developed already during the Chalcolithic period. Since the Early Bronze Age period cisterns were built which increased steadily in number. Often ancient settlements relied entirely on cisterns and reservoirs/pools. Well-known are the Nabateans who developed a sophisticated hydraulic system in the second and first centuries B.C. most likely by also introducing these new techniques from the Hellenistic world which they traveled. Since then harvesting techniques and structures have been in use and people have been aware of the potentials of these ancient systems. To confront the worsening water crisis in Jordan ancient water techniques should be studied and their capabilities evaluated so that they could be locally reactivated.