Every civilization had to organize the management of water across diverse populations and generations. Their histories offer perspective and relevance for water management today and in the future. … Perhaps the earliest human civilization to manage water intensively over a region was the Liangzhu civilization from 5,100 – 4,300 years before present (3,100 – 2,300 BC), north of Hangzhou, China, in the southern part of the larger Yangtze Delta region. Different from other early water projects in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley, the Liangzhu system goes beyond river diversions and has a group of water storage dams at its core, with flood control, transportation, and defense purposes as well as water supply to provide more comprehensive basin management.