A cache of cuneiform tablets has been discovered in a specialized administrative wing of a temple in Nippur, providing unprecedented details on Mesopotamian water management. The texts, dating to the Neo-Sumerian period, serve as a Registry of Royal Canal-Sluice Maintenance, listing the names of engineers and the specific seasonal repairs required for the city’s hydraulic infrastructure.
Crucially, the find includes clay tablets featuring hydraulic blueprints that depict the internal mechanisms of sluice gates and weir systems. These diagrams illustrate how Sumerian engineers used pressure-resistant cedar-wood gates and bitumen-sealed brickwork to control the flow of the Euphrates, ensuring the survival of agricultural fields during periods of extreme drought.