Resettlement would necessitate an agricultural infrastructure be built from scratch essentially entirely independent of the methods used by previous residents of the city. Soil salinization, in particular, is rather hard to remediate, and most likely beyond the capabilities of the residents of Mesopotamia at the time.

These soil conditions, in addition to being an issue for the residents of Babylon, would be an issue for anyone attempting to resettle Babylon after its abandonment. Eventually these issues would increase to the point that this method of agriculture would become unsustainable. Crop transport and storage became more difficult, and remote fields were harder to defend. Canals needed to be expanded, necessitating further upkeep. As fields expanded further and further from populations centers, logistical problems increased. Mesopotamians compensated for yield losses due to salinization by clearing more land to put into agriculture. Over time, these salts build up to the point where the soil becomes unsuitable for agriculture. Salts in irrigation water are deposited in the soil as water evaporates. The switch of crops, however, was unable to address another major side effect of irrigation, which is soil salinization. Barley is better adapted to wet conditions than wheat, and allowed fields to be be continuously cultivated past the point wheat crops would fail. The site’s remains were first excavated by Robert Koldewey, a German architect, at the end of the nineteenth century. Mesopotamians adapted to these conditions by replacing wheat crops with barley. Widely known for its legendary Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Babylon today is home to national treasures such as Ishtar Gate and the Lion of Babylon. Wheat yields would steadily decrease as soil conditions became wetter. Extensive irrigation leads to rising water tables in soil, and wheat is a crop that does not tolerate wet conditions well. The irrigation methods employed, however, made wheat cultivation unsustainable in the long term. Initially, the primary crop grown was wheat.

Irrigation required constant upkeep and maintenance, but allowed for a great amount of food to be grown. Fields fed from these canals allowed for extensive cereal cultivation in order to produce bread and beer, the two staples of the Mesopotamian citizenry. Mesopotamians accomplished this through diverting water from the local rivers (Euphrates, predominantly) through an extensive system of irrigation canals.

In order to maintain a static settlement of any appreciable size, extensive agricultural operations were required. I would like to expand upon something Daeres brought up in the last paragraph of the response, namely agriculture.

Where is babylon today