How Water Engineered the Maya and Khmer Civilizations

CrashCourse

In this episode of Crash Course World History, John Green explores the critical role of water management in the rise and fall of classical civilizations, shifting the focus from war and gold to hydraulic engineering. The video specifically examines the Maya civilization in the Yucatan Peninsula and the Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia, demonstrating how their mastery of water allowed them to flourish in difficult environments and how their reliance on these complex systems eventually contributed to their collapse.