#xref into [[Against the Grain by James C. Scott]] when I'm done ### p47 the earliest settlements emerged in marshes not deserts > The earliest large fixed settlements sprang up in wetlands, not arid settings; they relied overwhelmingly on wetland resources, not grain, for their subsistence; and they had no need of irrigation in the generally understood sense of the term. Insofar as any human landscaping was necessary in this setting, it was far more likely to be drainage than irrigation. - [n] Relevant for teaching Mesopotamia.