Irrigation (Age of Empires)

This article is about the technology in Age of Empires. For the related technology in Age of Mythology, see Irrigation (Age of Mythology).

Irrigation
Availability
Introduced in	Age of Empires
Civilization	See table
Age	Iron Age
Research
Researched at	Market
Prerequisite(s)	Plow
Food	300
Wood	100
Research time	100 seconds
Effect
Farms +125 food

Irrigation is an economic upgrade featured in Age of Empires. It can be researched at the Market for 300 food, 100 wood once the player reaches the Iron Age and is the last upgrade that enhances farming productivity. Once researched, the total amount of Food available on a Farm increases by 125 points.

Availability chart

Available	Unavailable
Assyrians Babylonians Carthaginians Choson Egyptians Greeks Lac Viet Macedonians Minoans Phoenicians Shang Sumerians Yamato	Hittites Palmyrans Persians Romans

Civilization bonuses

• Babylonians: Irrigation costs -30%.*

Team bonuses

• Palmyrans: Researching Irrigation is 30% faster.

Changelog

Age of Empires

• Irrigation gives Farms +75 food.

Definitive Edition

• Irrigation gives Farms +125 food.

History

“	One of the key steps in the agricultural revolution was understanding and managing irrigation. Observation of the natural world revealed eventually the relationship between planted seeds, good soils, sunlight, water, and resultant crops. Large- scale irrigation in both Mesopotamia and Egypt turned the rich but arid soils near the rivers into rich farmlands and made possible the rise of the great civilizations on earth. Building the dams and channels to irrigate these lands required sophistication of government, construction, and engineering not seen previously in any society.	”
—Age of Empires manual