Abstract

A series of well-preserved old river channels is a distinctive feature of the landscape around Amara West. One of the palaeochannels lies immediately north of the town: it may have been much like the small channel beside Ernetta Island today (below). The dried-up channel at Amara West raises key questions, fundamental to our understanding of life here. When did flow in this channel cease to be permanent? Was the town founded on an island? Was the abandonment of the town linked to the failure of this channel and resulting changes to living conditions?