Water is the precious resource that has been a driving factor for progress in the past and a determining factor for development in the future. The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Rome and China understood that water is not simply a precious resource, crucial for survival and the very essence of life, but also an important prerequisite for further development. Many of these ancient civilizations flourished as a direct result of their proximity to rivers and other water sources. The growth of these cities created a major water supply problem as these companies expanded further inland. The need for such a supply triggered the development of these ancient civilizations technologically, economically, politically and legally. The need for a constant supply of water triggered the technological development of ancient societies. Aerial photography of a pre-Roman city and a LANDMAT image of Mesopotamia reveal the irrigation systems used by these ancient civilizations. The extensive and widespread network of irrigation canals in Mesopotamia demonstrates that the Mesopotamians had the technology necessary to build and maintain these artificial canals (Sources 1 and 2). Although digging water channels and building dams was important, it did not solve the problem of providing water to cultivated fields. Therefore, water transport mechanisms such as the shaduf and saqiya were constructed. The first water-raising machine would be the shaduf, a simple lever mechanism used in ancient Egypt (Source 4). The shaduf consisted of a long stick attached to a bucket on one side and a rock on the other to act as a counterweight. These shadufs were quite small and simple in design, making them cheap... half the paper... of ancient civilizations. Water was such an important resource that the first laws enacted were not about land rights but rather water rights. Ancient legal codes reflect the need for water regulation to resolve disputes regarding its supply and distribution. Technological development has also been closely related to water as new water transportation techniques and machinery have been developed to meet water needs. The digging of ditches and canals benefited the economy by allowing the irrigation of massive crop fields which led to a surplus of resources. These aqueduct projects required a huge workforce, which shows how cities banded together and worked together to accomplish such tasks. In conclusion, the need to obtain a constant water supply influenced the development of ancient civilizations in many respects and continues to influence our society today..