Imagine a mother and a newborn child. Now picture the mother abandoning the baby with no one to feed or take care of it. It is very likely that the baby would die. The Nile, a major river in northeastern Africa, could be considered as Ancient Egypt’s mother. Because Egypt was so isolated, the river was all they ever knew. The economy and belief system of Egypt were totally dependant on the Nile River, and if it did not exist, neither would this powerful empire. The Nile River was crucial to the development of job specialization in this civilization. It not only supported farmers who used the river to fill irrigation canals, but supported everyone from craftsmen to sailors. In order to use the river for transportation, society needed workers …show more content…
The map and map key on “Document A: Ancient Egypt,” reveals that it had two deserts in the east and in the west, the Mediterranean Sea in the north, and the first and second cataract in the south. Most, if not all, of the settlements and cities were located in or very close to the Fertile Nile Valley because of the Nile’s plentiful water sources and silt, fertile soil carried by the river which was perfect for farming. Three main seasons revolved around the river: Akhet, Peret, and Shemu. Akhet was the flood season, which was between mid-June and mid-October. During this time of year, farmers would work off their public-labor tax since all the floodplains were heavily flooded. Mid-October to mid-February was called Peret, or the planting and growing season. This is when the Nile was high enough to fill irrigation canals and farmers were able to plant and tend crops. Last was the harvest season, known as Shemu, which takes place mid-February to mid-June. Without the seasons the river provided, it would be impossible for the people to grow crops for them to eat and …show more content…
If the gods were satisfied, the flood season would produce a “good Nile,” which meant just the right amount of water. If the people angered the gods, they would give the people a “bad Nile,” too much or not enough water. A “bad Nile” would usually result in death, no farming, and no water sources. Even the afterlife depended on the Nile. Egyptian Heaven was known as the Field of Reeds, and it was assumed to be located in the east, near the rising sun. In the depiction from the tomb of a tradesman named Sennedjem shown on “Document D: Field of Reeds,” the Nile River and irrigation canals surrounds and flows through the painting. This allowed the deceased to farm and live in the afterlife. It was also believed that the sun god Ra travelled across the sky in a boat in the day and the moon god Thoth in the night. It is obvious that the center of Egypt’s belief system was contingent on the Nile
The Egyptians were very lucky to have the Nile River because without it they wouldn’t be able to survive. The Nile shaped Egypt by granting them with almost everything they needed. Where the Nileś source came from may have been a riddle to them but we know that came from Lake Tana which is the branch called the Blue Nile and from Lake Victoria which is the other branch called the White Nile. Egypt has been around for five thousand years and for all of those five thousand years the Nile River helped the Egyptians survive in Egypt. The Nile River shaped Ancient Egypt by setting a calendar, providing food and water,
Many religious figures in Ancient Egypt explain events in nature. The Nile is no different. Hapi, son of Horus, was the god of the annual flooding of the Nile. Ancient Egyptians would celebrate Hapi for good harvests. The many drawings and sketches the Ancient Egyptians did help people understand today what they believed, and gave an insight as to how people lived back then. Many drawings included people farming and herding animals. These types of pictures seem very natural, and the Nile River is depicted in many of them. Many drawings also depicted the many Gods of Ancient Egypt. This was all thanks to the Nile River, which allowed people to create drawings and teach people today about life and religion during one of the first Ancient
The Nile is the longest river in the world. It flows from three branches: The Blue Nile, the White Nile and the Atbara. The Nile was the lifeline of Egypt. It shaped the nation 's economy, determined its political structure and culture. While the surrounding deserts and oceans provided security to Egypt, the Nile provided Egypt with prosperity. The aim of this paper would be dedicated to showing the Importance of the Nile in the rise of successful states in North Africa. A first part will be dedicated to showing the impact of the Nile on the agricultural domain. A second part will discuss the impact of the Nile when it comes to economic field. A third and last part will be dedicated to showing how this factors and obviously the Nile have contributed into the rise of successful states in North Africa.
“Egypt…is, so to speak, the gift of the Nile.” (Doc. E). The Nile River was a river that flowed for approximately 680 miles through ancient Egypt, and through other African countries. It was a crucial water source for ancient Egypt, and it was essential for the survival of the Egyptian people. Ancient Egypt was one of the dominating river valley civilizations in the ancient world, and it was located in northern Africa. It had deserts, bodies of water, mountains, and flat plains. In this context, shaping means developing and impacting. The Nile River shaped ancient Egypt in many ways. The geographical aspect and the resources the Nile provided; the transportation, and therefore trade; and the spiritual impact on the Egyptians that the Nile had all played roles in the shaping of ancient Egypt.
The Ancient Egyptians were able to develop farming and cultivate the area because the annual inundations of the Nile River that resulted in extremely fertile soil in the floodplains, but if the flood was too high the crops couldn't be sown and damage may result to buildings, and if the flood was too low famine would arise. Another importance of the river was that it created a communications highway. The Egyptians could travel up and down the Nile, which enabled the existence of a complex state.
The Nile river shaped ancient Egypt in many ways. The Nile was important to everyone who lived in ancient Egypt. Without the Nile River the ancient Egyptians would have never survived. The Nile was a big part in everything that the Egyptians did. The Nile took a big part in agriculture, economics, and religion in ancient Egypt.
The Nile River made it easy to travel to other countries and other countries to visit them. Not only were they able to trade goods, but it also made it easy for them to make negotiations with other countries about other things such as war and peace treaties. With the Nile making it an easy trade route they were also able to have a very strong economy and many businessmen were able to have jobs because of trading. Trading not only made a strong economy, but trading also gave many people
All four main ancient river valley civilizations were located in the Fertile Crescent therefore they all shared the same type of weather. Egypt was located south of the Mediterranean and west of the Red sea. Ancient Egyptians depended on the Nile for all of their daily needs. Without the Nile, Egypt would’ve been uninhabitable, being that it made that dry desert area fertile. The Nile was a curse and a blessing. Every year in the middle of July the Nile would flood. If the water was too much land and crops would be destroyed and when the water receded in October silt will be left behind and it was used to nourish their farm lands. Isolation by the surrounding
In ancient Egyptian civilization the Nile River was the single most important thing to the Egyptians. If the Egyptians did not have the Nile River they would have never survived. The Egyptians thrived because of the Nile it provided them with trade, protection, farming, irrigation and transportation.
From the beginning the greatness of Egypt came from the Nile (figure 1). The Nile was an artery of Egypt that connected the Upper and Lower side of Egypt and also offered them protection from any outside invasion. The Nile was a paradise for people as its fresh water overflowed its bank yearly creating a fertile valley. As Egypt is a hot and dry place with very few trees and vegetation, over time, people started to settle along the borders of the Nile, where they started to develop strong agricultural communities. Due to the lack of intensity and predictability of the Niles seasons, it allowed the Egyptians to become successful, as it was cooler and easier to harvest crops. The Egyptians then began to build canals, terraced fields and ditches to control water and increasing their crop
With the abundance of water and the high temperatures, this supported farming along the Nile and the Delta. This provided valuable food for the general population throughout Egypt. The annual Nile flood was important to the Egyptians of both Upper and Lower Egypt who based their lives around this cycle. Ancient Egyptians divided their calendar up into three seasons, around the annual flood as follows:
Have you ever wondered what it was like to be apart of an ancient civilization? Well, if I had to chose an ancient civilization to be apart of I’d chose the Egypt (Nile) because of it’s great economic standards and it’s interesting culture and religion. In Egypt they had great agriculture resources, festivals, and lots of different customs and beliefs. This all sounds interesting right? Well, if you want to know more, keep reading!
Nearly 5000 years ago, there were two kingdoms surrounding the Nile, the North around the mouth of the river and the South stretched along the river for hundreds of miles. The Egypt we’re familiar with begins with King Menes, the first Pharaoh. Under his command, the South conquered the Northern lands unifying the two nations into what we now consider Ancient Egypt. Even though the two kingdoms were very different, they did have one enormous element in common, the Nile River. Each spring the southern snow would melt and cause flooding; the waters overflowed and replenished the soil, promising a large harvest that autumn. The entire kingdom vitally depended on this natural rhythm.
Nearly 5000 years ago, two kingdoms surrounded the Nile river, the North around the mouth of the river and the South stretched along the river for hundreds of miles. The Egypt we’re familiar with begins with King Menes, the first Pharaoh. Under his command, the South conquered the Northern lands unifying the two nations into what we now consider Ancient Egypt. Even though the two kingdoms were greatly different, they did have one enormous element in common, the Nile River. Each spring the southern snow would melt and cause flooding; the waters overflowed and replenished the soil, promising a large harvest that autumn. The entire kingdom vitally depended on this natural rhythm.
The ancient Egyptian’s advancements in agriculture is one of the driving forces that lead to the success of their empire. The Egyptian civilization came together because of the need for fertile soil and a constant supply of water. Although the Nile was a constant supply of water, the Egyptians still needed to find a way to bring the water to their crops. Murray shows the reason why irrigation was needed, “In Egypt, 6000 years ago, when the latest ‘rainy interlude’ began to wane, neolithic tribesmen from both sides flocked into the Nile Valley