Early Irrigation

Although the first three chapters of the Hammurabi's biography were mainly concerned with his accomplishments as a diplomat and warrior I did find the mention of canals on page 13 to be noteworthy. The passage is short and does not mention how many canals are built, but merely states that he did excavate some early in his reign. 
I found this noteworthy for a few reasons. First of all it seems to show the continued importance of maintaining a strong crop of barley and other grains. The importance of canals in increasing crop production has of course already been discussed in class. It makes sense that this would be a key responsibility for the king, and I found it interesting that these canals received names that could include the king's name. The concept of irrigation being closely linked the concept of ruling is not unusual or isolated to the Middle East. Many scholars agree that the King's responsibility for canals and irrigation is emphasized in the Chinese character for law which includes the symbol for water. 
The author seems to wrap these concepts together with the closing line of the paragraph where the Law Code of Hammurabi is quoted. It states that Hammurabi's work on the canal "extended the cultivated areas" and "filled the granaries." The increase in grain and general stabilization of Babylon was now doubt essential in allowing Hammurabi to attack Elam, Larsa, and later Eshnunna.