Without the Nile, who knows what Egypt would be like today. It is just a river, yet it has an unparalleled effect on the surrounding civilizations. It provides water for countless people and animals, and is the lifeblood of a land that lacks other water sources or ways to travel. Beyond that, it provides the resources needed to maintain a thriving economy and a rich culture. For example, the Ancient Egyptians had no choice but to incorporate the Nile into their culture because it was their only meaningful water source, and the main thing keeping them alive. The Egyptians' total dependence on the Nile allowed it to affect every part of Egypt all throughout its growth, from food to transportation. The Nile shaped Egypt by supporting its economy, …show more content…
For example, during "Shemu (harvest season) . . . crops in the Lower Nile were harvested and sent to market" (Document B). This reveals how the entire structure of the Egyptian agricultural industry revolved around seasons determined by the Nile's flood seasons. This also established when the Egyptians were able to make money or not, which affected when the other industries were able to operate, because the farmers could only buy products if they had the money to do so. In addition, the image in Document C shows goods being transported along the Nile. This illustrates how the merchants utilized the rapidly flowing Nile waters to quickly move products from place to place, allowing them to make more money. Without the Nile, the merchants would have to travel through the desert by caravan, which not only can take months, but is also dangerous: there are sandstorms, unpredictable temperatures, robbers, and limited food and water supplies. Furthermore, "if [the Nile]is sluggish, noses suffocate, everyone is impoverished . . . If he rises, the land is in exultation" (Document E). This proves how the Nile was so crucial that nearly the entire economy would crumble if the Nile dried up. The Egyptians were totally dependent on the Nile; everything from agriculture to architecture could not last without it. Overall, the versatility of the Nile allowed it to become the backbone of …show more content…
From once-in-a-lifetime ceremonies to everyday life, the Nile always played a role. As shown in the chart in Document B, each season had specific activities done in them each year. This reveals how the Nile determined the seasons, which therefore decided how people could go about their daily life. Hence, almost the entire Egyptian culture was built around the Nile and its operation. Moreover, the tomb painting in Document E depicts all aspects of Egyptian life being totally surrounded by the blue waters of the Nile. This demonstrates how much the Egyptians revered the Nile, to a point that they included it in something as holy as a memorial. Thus, they knew that all parts of Egyptian life connected to the Nile, no matter how rich, poor, young, or old the person was. This idea is furthered in the belief that "heaven in Ancient Egypt was called the Field of Reeds . . . believed to be located somewhere [along the Nile] in the East" (Document D). Religion was critical to Egyptian life; it was even a part of their government. By placing their paradise on the banks of the Nile the Egyptians indicate how important the Nile was to them: they included it as a crucial component of a part of their life that they thought was almost more important than their existence on Earth. To conclude, because they depended on the Nile so much for survival, they had no choice but to include the Nile as a prominent part of their
In document B, the chart and document C, the illustration, people had seasons based on the Nile and farming. In document B it states, “ Crops in the lower Nile harvested and sent to market.” So therefore, without the Nile crops wouldn't grow. Also, people used the Nile for transportation. They had a flood season, a growing season, and a harvest season. If the Nile flooded more than 30 feet, it would flood the villages and if it flooded under 25 feet then it wouldn't be enough water. They transported food, tombs, and obelisks on large barges. Not only did the Nile shape Ancient Egypt through economics but also spiritual life.
One of the biggest needs for a civilisation is food, transportation, and crops/plants. Done, done and done with all their rivers. Stated in Document 2, “They provided many resources which included food, transportation, as well as plants.” That all came from the rivers they had, like the Nile River.. Also, stated in document 1, “the Nile provided a fertile area in the middle of a desert.” so they needed it for crops.
One of the ways that the Nile shaped Egypt was through economy. According to document A, the Nile’s location was perfect for trade and interaction with other nearby ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia and the Indus
Without the Nile, people would not have been able to rely on food or water sources. The economic impact the Nile had on Egypt was significant in many ways.
Agriculture- farming in Egypt was completely depended on the Nile River. If you were to go a couple miles farther away from the Nile River you would see nothing but bone dry desert so the Nile was very important to the Egyptians. Flooding season lasted from June to September, depositing a layer of silt beside the river. After the flooding season was over growing season lasted from October to February Egypt had very little rain fall so farmers made canals and ditches to the field.
The Egyptians had three four-month seasons (Doc B). The seasons were flooding (Akhet), planting (Peret) and harvesting (Shemu). The Nile set the Egyptian calendar and the agricultural cycle for farmers’ work activity and crop growth. Several occupations depended on the Nile River (Doc C). Sailors, boat builders, fishermen and farmers depended on the river transport to market crops and make money. The Egyptians used sailboats, barges and tugs for transportation and trade (Doc C). The Nile was like the superhighway of ancient Egypt. It helped them move crops and goods up and down the river and sell beyond their local market. Nothing could happen without the Nile.
Conscious of the geographical region, Egyptians settled around the Nile, as the Nile provided substance (agriculture, irrigation, trading routes, etc.). The Egyptians noticed that the Nile would flood regularly, and exploited this natural flooding by building an irrigation system to support their agriculture, as well as their society. “Hymn to the Nile” depicts this prosperous age of agriculture, “Lord of the fish, during the inundation, no bird alights on the crops. You create the grain, you bring forth the barley, assuring perpetuity to the temples.” ("Ancient History Sourcebook: Hymn to the Nile, c. 2100 BCE."). However, the Nile might have contributed to the eventual collapse of ancient Old Kingdom Egyptian civilization. The Nile partially destroyed the society that it had once nurtured. A series of low or high floods over the course of a few years immensely impacted their agriculture, which in turn created epidemics of famine and civil unrest. The Egyptian civilization eventually prospered once more, only centuries later and with new social
"All of Egypt is the gift of the Nile." It was the Greek historian Herodotus who made that observation. The remarkable benefits of the Nile are clear to everyone, but through history he was the first to talk about it and consider its fascination. Through history, the Nile played a major role in the building of civilizations. The first civilizations to appear in history started on a river valley or in a place where resources are numerous and example of these are in India where Indus river is found and Tigris where Euphrates is found and many other places (cradles of civilization).
In Egypt, the Nile River overflowed its banks annually, creating fertile, mineral-rich soil. The yearly rise of the Nile in Egypt was gentle and predictable. The Egyptian’s found security in the Nile’s 365-day cycle of inundation and Egypt’s perimeter of sea and desert
The Nile Valley of Africa is a great place that has given the world so much that we are not even aware of. Truly everything that has came out of the Nile Valley has been a gift because its contributions have done nothing but better today’s society. A lot of developments and creations started in the Nile Valley and they helped further the push of the world’s development and its people’s evolution to what we know today. The Nile Valley and its people’s influence can be found in plenty of areas because they were the first to create some of the early versions of some of the things we use and know today.
The flooding surges of the land, and leaves behind water for the people, and fertile land, which can be used for agriculture. The impact the Nile has on Egypt during the ancient times and present are consierably apparent. The influence the Nile has is so extensive, that even the speech is transposed. For example, "To go north" in the Egyption language is the same as, "to go down stream"; "to go south" the same as "to go upstream." Also, the term for a "foreign country" in Egypt would be used as "highland" or "desert", because the only mountains or deserts would be far away, and foreign to them. The Nile certainly had an exceptional influence on Egypts, both lifestyle and thinking.The Nile also forced a change on the political system and ruling in Egypt.
The Nile River is arguably one of the most important water sources in the world and has an extremely rich history dating back thousands of years. Without the Nile, the ancient Egyptian civilization would have never existed. Egypt is basically a whole lot of sand and not much else, except they have the Nile River flowing through it, on it’s way to the Mediterranean sea. The ancient Egyptians lived along the Nile River and it provided them with abundant water, food (fish) and the opportunity to develop agriculture along it’s banks. The Nile River was also used for transportation and trade with other regions because land travel was more difficult than floating on the river. The Ancient Egyptians were at the mercy of the seasonal flooding and droughts but learned to work within the natural system of the River and weather cycles (Carnegie Museum of Natural History). Modern people, however were more interested in conquering nature, rather than living in harmony with it.
Egypt is known as the gift of the Nile, but why well that is what this paper is all about. For starters Egypt would not be the place it is today without the Nile it would be reduced to a dry uninhabitable desert. The Nile provides water to the entire land and as we all know water is a necessity for all life to exist. Another thing that the Nile supplies is silt, this silt is full of nutrients that makes farming not only possible but actually a lot easier than it is here in the states . The Nile also makes trade with nearby cities and towns possible so supplies are never short.
The Nile River had great influence on Ancient Egyptian culture. The Nile is the longest river in the world, that is located in Africa, was the source of livelihood for the ancient Egyptians as it was used for trade and hunting, as well as, drinking and fishing. It was also used for bathing and other hygiene purposes. It was the source of Ancient Egypt’s wealth, treasures, and the greatest arteries supplied the land with blessings and drown ancient Egyptians in various graces through the ages as the emitter of life in Egypt and the source of its existence, because it watered ancient Egyptian’s lands. The Nile had the greatest impact on timeless civilization that originated on it in the past ages, the Nile held oldest civilization immortalized in history. Ancient Egyptians could not have survived without the Nile River, which in essence, inspired their way of living, “The country’s verdant green fields and bountiful food resources depended on the fertile soil of the Nile flood plain” (Silverman 12). In turn, many ancient
Providing extremely fertile soil is one, if not the most important, roles the Nile River played in the life of the ancient Egyptians. By providing fertile soil, the Nile made it easy for cities and civilizations to grow alongside the banks of the river. This fertile soil comes from the annual flooding of the Nile. This replenishes the top soil with silt deposits that hold much needed nutrients for crops to grow. Ancient Egyptians developed highly complex irrigation methods to maximize the effect of the Nile waters. When the Nile overflows in mid summer, Egyptians divert the waters through the use of canals and dams. As the water seeped into the farm land, rich deposits of silt ensured a good harvest for the year. This allows the civilizations of Egyptians to grow enough food to feed the community. Without the annual flooding of the Nile, Egyptians would have a very difficult time growing necessary amount food to sustain life. Most of the land in the Egyptian nation is dry desert. Very little rain falls year round here. The river provides the needed water to grow the crops as well as provide drinking water for the people. Th...