Water has given birth to human civilization, and all life on this planet is closely related to water. However, until today when science and technology seem to be quite advanced, the ability of humans to transform nature is still very limited, and they still cannot fully control water. For the ancients who lacked effective tools and equipment, especially the laws of nature, no matter how difficult it is to use or manage water resources, it is far from what can be imagined today. Ironically, the ancients who have not mastered the once-in-a-lifetime research skills have left the modern people with a civilization that has crossed the ages. In Steven’s writings, whether it is the underground pipe network of Rome or China’s Dujiangyan Water Conservancy Engineering still plays an important role today. And such an outstanding achievement, it is difficult to separate the relationship with power.

Steven Mithen, a professor of prehistory and archaeology who has devoted his life to researching the origin of water and civilization and the evolution of human brain and language, and a member of the British Academy, the highest academic institution in the United Kingdom, in "The Power of Flow: How Water Shapes In this monograph, "Civilization", the Fernan Valley in the fertile crescent area, the Knossos Palace in ancient Greece, the "treasure house" of Kazne in Nabatae, the aqueducts of ancient Rome and the Baths of Caracalla, ancient China’s Dujiangyan, the "inland oceans" of the Angkor Kingdom, the Mayan civilization of the Americas and the Machu Picchu of the Inca Empire, and other 10 water control civilization sites, try to sort out how the ancients controlled, used and competed for water resources and how water affected the rise and fall of civilizations history.

The "water soil" that gave birth to water power

From the archaeological excavation results of 10 civilized sites introduced by Steven, it can be seen that in the history of human civilization, water diversion projects have contributed the most. Rome did not hesitate human, financial, and material resources to build a "551-kilometer" diversion channel, including a double-layer aqueduct that traverses the wilderness and a tunnel through a mountain. The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, built in the 7th century, is 1,600 kilometers long. In "Chinese Economic History", Qian Mu described in detail the "well field system" in ancient China. This centralized production model is not only conducive to balanced human resources to grow crops, but also to the rational distribution of water resources. In the 6th century AD, Constantinople "built up to 70 cisterns and reservoirs in the city", and the water storage facilities are like complex and huge underground labyrinths.

If we extend our perspective further, the use and management of water resources by ancient humans is closely related to the derivation of power. When human beings gradually bid farewell to primitive safari life and began to transition to a new lifestyle of settlement, consideration of the water factor became indispensable. Out of the original intention of continuously obtaining clean water sources, most human settlements choose to be close to places where water is convenient for them. However, as humans multiply and live, the scale of settlements expands, and the demand for water resources is also increasing. When demand exceeds the original supply capacity of nature, concentration and distribution are inevitable.

The first sign of concentration and distribution is the emergence of water conservancy facilities that transform nature. Although the construction of water conservancy facilities can rely on the spontaneous power of villages, with the gradual expansion of human water use and the gradual expansion of the scale of projects, the degree of dependence on water resources has increased rapidly, and the figure of power has become more and more obvious in the process of water concentration and distribution Hair prominent.

If foreign factors such as natural disasters and wars are aside, under normal circumstances, the more sound a water conservancy project is, the longer its civilized history will be. The construction of water conservancy projects is an important manifestation of resource concentration. This concentration is not only reflected in the centralized dispatch and reasonable allocation of water sources, but also in the unified dispatch of human and other social resources, and even includes the commercial development and utilization of water resources. Obviously, no matter what form of concentration and distribution, they cannot do without the strong backing of power. In other words, the need for concentration and distribution of water resources is an important "water soil" that promotes water power.

The elitist trend of water power

The involvement of power in the process of concentration and distribution of water resources is not logical. On the one hand, people realize that power plays an extremely important role in the allocation of water resources. On the other hand, if power is to make a difference, it must satisfy the premise of "trusting the people". In the absence of a ready-made power gestation structure, it is a fantasy to realize the "credibility" of power management of water resources from a normal way, or it is difficult to be accepted by the public. It is based on such practical difficulties that ancient people easily thought of the so-called gods of those supernatural forces.

No one doubts the power of the gods, no one dares to question the gods. In the earlier ancient times, due to the limitations of human understanding of the laws of nature, although various civilizations were separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, judging from the excavated civilization sites and the historical materials handed down, they used the power of gods and various religious rituals. The legitimacy of obtaining power has almost become the common choice of all civilizations. The frequent appearance of the power of gods is obviously more conducive to ruling people's hearts, and it also provides the possibility for the "legal" transfer of power.

So we see that gods are everywhere in various civilizations. "God created and controlled water is the theme of Sumerian mythology"; "In ancient Rome, people worshiped water as a god"; in order to build the Dujiangyan water conservancy project, Li Bing and his son had to fake the river god Agree, so as to achieve the purpose of uniting people's hearts; Angkor civilization "rather than quenching the thirst of the subjects, the kings are more eager to please the Hindu gods"... The gods themselves are a symbol of natural power, and in this process of admiring the power of gods One key factor cannot be ignored, that is, the social elite firmly monopolizes the right to speak with the gods, and cleverly realizes the organic unity of the power of the nihilistic gods and the will of the elite.

Thanks to the gods, the legitimacy of power is finally no longer the main difficulty of society, but power itself quickly becomes a problem. Water is not currency. With today's thinking, even if water shortage has become an important issue in many countries and cities, it is still difficult for us to link water with the word "luxury". However, Steven told us through his archaeological explorations that when a resource is in short supply, or when power firmly controls the distribution of resources and is uncomfortably restricted, the utilitarian phenomenon of resources is inevitable, and the utilitarian is often behind it. The elitism of power.

The Romans worshiped water, and their daily use of water was at the forefront of other civilizations, such as baths, toilets, etc. However, due to excessive use of water, ordinary water resources gradually became a luxury feast. Luxury is a product of social hierarchy, and no ordinary people can live a luxurious life. The King of Angkor’s concern was not about irrigation and flood control, but about building a paradise on earth around the theme of water. In the classical period, water was manipulated by Mayan elites as a crucial and scarce resource during the long dry season to achieve the political purpose of centralizing and controlling power.... Although power was the construction of water conservancy projects and the concentration and distribution of water resources It has played an extremely important role, but once there is an opportunity, power will always take the lead as much as possible to "feed back" itself.

"Water can carry a boat, and it can also overturn it"

When the rulers are more and more aware of the importance of water to mankind, in order to achieve the purpose of strengthening the rule, do everything possible to control water resources has become their ideal choice. This is a bit like the "salt economy" in ancient my country. Although the technology for obtaining salt is not complicated, the ruler implements an official monopoly on salt in order to control his subjects and obtain tax revenue. Since then, those who can be engaged in the salt industry are those who are not giants. What follows is that those power rebels must first accept the problem of salt shortage. Although the results of archaeological excavations failed to prove that water was directly commoditized in these 10 civilizations, water not only realized the supply of basic human life, but also became an important bridge for commercial communication. "Close cooperation", the Hohokan people invented a new way to achieve trade through ball games. The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which was excavated more than a thousand years ago, still has a pivotal position in the market economy.

Water has bred civilization and power to a certain extent, but the return of water to mankind cannot be endless. Among the 10 ancient civilization relics investigated by Steven, "irrigation once made the Sumerian civilization glorious for a while, but after causing soil salinization, irrigation became the chief culprit in the demise of the Sumerian civilization"; The Mayan civilization that had prospered for 1500 years was the fuse that quickly fell; under the condition of "the overall decline in rainfall", Angkor, who only respected theocratic power and disregarded the people's livelihood, eventually declined due to the failure of the water conservancy system; when the Hohokan people" The new leader once announced that the gods gave him the power to rule, but when they could not withstand drought and floods, this power no longer existed." When the power operation fails, the water conservancy project that needs to concentrate a lot of resources to be launched is almost a luxury. As a result, the Hohokan people have to return to the safari "back to their ancestors" because of their inability to build water conservancy projects...

Looking back at the vicissitudes of mankind's experience of understanding, using, and managing water, it is also a difficult search for the tortuous development of human civilization. As we all know, Xunzi's "water can carry and overturn a boat" refers to ruling power. In fact, this logic is also applicable when it comes down to the development and utilization of water resources. The development and utilization of water resources gave birth to power, but if the power dictator fails to effectively protect and scientifically develop water resources, or even recklessly abuses and violates the laws of nature, in the end nature will surely make us repay twice. In this sense, are the 10 archaeological relics inspected by Steven Miessen a classic case of water resources development and utilization?