### ch04p131 > Because the fields to be irrigated lay on steep hillsides, the Highland East Cushitic farmerse began to build terraces to stave off the erosion of their lands. The earliest terraced fields may have been supported simply by earthen embankments. But early on, probably well before 1000 BCE, the irrigation farmers of the southern Ethopian Highlands increasingly turned to building stone-walled terraces, a much more effective and long-lasting kind of support than earthen embankments. How does *this* compare to the Inca? Worldbuilding by comparison is a nice article series idea ([[Article & Blog Idea]]) as well: find everybody who did a particular thing and figure out how flexible the idea is. For [[Worldbuilding Magazine]] focus on the meta, i.e. “How to worldbuild by comparison — if you want to do something “like the Inca” there might be value in finding out *who else* did that thing so you can figure out which pieces of their process is necessary for realism. This can help you avoid things like cultural appropriation while you still take inspiration from an underutilized setting. - [[The Civilizations of Africa by Christopher Ehret#ch04p131|View in Vault]]