History glossary
Canals
human-made channels that move water for farming, transport, drainage, or urban supply.
- Category
- Infrastructure
- Region
- Ancient Mesopotamia and many other regions
What it means
Canals are artificial waterways dug or maintained by people. In Mesopotamia, canals carried river water from the Tigris and Euphrates into fields, helped drain land, supported transport, and required coordinated labor to build, clear, and repair.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Opium Wars
From the Canton System to the fall of Beijing, the Opium Wars turned illegal trade, imperial power and Qing weakness into a new unequal treaty order.
The Abbasid Golden Age
From revolution and Baghdad to the House of Wisdom, science, medicine, trade and the fall of the city, the Abbasid Golden Age reshaped global knowledge.
The Rise of Islam
From Muhammad's first revelations to the early caliphates, Islam grew from a Meccan message into a civilisation spanning Africa, Asia and Europe.
The Aztec Empire
From migrants to empire, the Aztecs built a powerful civilisation before collapsing after Spanish conquest.
The Cold War
Rivalry between East and West shapes global politics - through proxy wars, propaganda, and nuclear tension.
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain and spread globally, transforming economies, societies and everyday life through machines, factories and new energy sources.
The Vietnam War
From decolonisation to Cold War conflict, the Vietnam War reshaped Southeast Asia and global politics.
Weimar Republic
A fragile democracy marked by crisis and innovation, whose collapse paved the way for Nazi rule.
