Every aspect of life in Egypt depended on the river – the Nile provided food and resources, land for agriculture, a means of travel, and was critical in the transportation of materials for building projects and other large-scale endeavors. It was a critical lifeline that literally brought life to the desert.
How did the Nile River affect ancient Egypt?
Ancient Egyptian civilization was created and greatly influenced by the Nile River. The flooding of the Nile was sustainable but not perfectly reliable, creating the belief in gods and social stratification. The Nile River provided sustenance to Egypt for around 3000 years.
Why was the Nile Valley so important to Egypt?
The Nile Valley's thick layer of silt "transformed what might have been a geological curiosity, a version of the Grand Canyon, into a densely populated agricultural country," explains Barry J. Kemp in Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization.
How did the inhabitants utilize the Nile to adapt to the environment?
The inhabitants utilized the Nile to adapt to the changing environment. Instead of roaming the land, they saw the opportunity the Nile provided them through agriculture.
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How the Nile affected ancient Egypt?
The Nile, which flows northward for 4,160 miles from east-central Africa to the Mediterranean, provided ancient Egypt with fertile soil and water for irrigation, as well as a means of transporting materials for building projects. Its vital waters enabled cities to sprout in the midst of a desert.
Why is the Nile so important to Egypt?
Today, 95 percent of Egyptians live within a few kilometers of the Nile. Canals bring water from the Nile to irrigate farms and support cities. The Nile supports agriculture and fishing. The Nile also has served as an important transportation route for thousands of years.
How did the Nile protect Egypt?
The Nile also provided protection from attack. People wanting to invade Egypt would have to first cross the river, which was very wide in places. The Egyptians could stand on their own side of the river and throw spears at their attackers.
What would happen to Egypt without the Nile?
Without it, Egyptian civilization could not have existed. The inhabitants utilized the Nile to adapt to the changing environment. Instead of roaming the land, they saw the opportunity the Nile provided them through agriculture.
What are 3 facts about the Nile river?
Interesting Facts about the Nile river:The Nile River is the longest river in the world.The Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea.The Nile has a length of about 6,695 kilometers (4,160 miles)Its average discharge is 3.1 million litres (680,000 gallons) per second.More items...
What are the benefits of the Nile river?
The Nile provided the Egyptians with a permanent source of water and animals and fish to hunt and catch for food. Bathing in the Nile River prevented diseases from happening. Farmers needed the water to help them grow their crops. They used the water from the Nile to wash their clothes.
What is unique about the Nile river?
1) Found in northeast Africa, the Nile has long been recognised as the longest river in the world – stretching a massive 6,695km! There is some debate over this title, though – some scientists argue that the Amazon river in South America is longer.
What are 10 facts about the Nile river?
Subscribe to Discover Walks!River Nile passes through 9 African Countries. ... River Nile was sacred to ancient Egyptians. ... The annual floods make the banks of the River Nile very fertile. ... There are two other Nile Rivers. ... River Nile led to human development along its banks. ... Egyptian Cotton is grown along River Nile.More items...•
How did the Nile influence Egypt?
The Nile influenced how Egyptians thought of the land in which they lived, according to Ha ney. They divided their world into Kemet, the "black land" of the Nile Valley, where there was enough water and food for cities to thrive. In contrast, the hot, dry desert areas were Deshret, the "red land." They linked the Nile Valley and oases in the desert areas with life and abundance, while the deserts were associated with death and chaos.
Why was the Nile important to ancient Egypt?
From nourishing agricultural soil to serving as a transportation route, the Nile was vital to ancient Egypt's civilization.
What did the ancient Egyptians use to predict the floods?
To predict whether they faced dangerous floods or low waters that could result in a poor harvest, the ancient Egyptians built nilometers —stone columns with markings that would indicate the water level.
What did the Nile provide Egypt with?
The Nile, which flows northward for 4,160 miles from east-central Africa to the Mediterranean, provided ancient Egypt with fertile soil and water for irrigation, as well as a means of transporting materials for building projects. Its vital waters enabled cities to sprout in the midst of a desert.
Why is the Nile called the Nile Valley?
The Nile's modern name comes from the Nelios, the Greek word for river valley. But the ancient Egyptians called it Ar or Aur, meaning "black," a reference to the rich, dark sediment that the Nile's waters carried from the Horn of Africa northward and deposited in Egypt as the river flooded its banks each year in late summer. That surge of water and nutrients turned the Nile Valley into productive farmland, and made it possible for Egyptian civilization to develop in the midst of a desert.
How did the Nile change Egypt?
The Nile changed the way Egypt worked in mainly their settlement distribution, the economy, and their religion. This is how the Nile changed the way Ancient Egypt ran. 3 The Nile had an effect on the settlement and population of Ancient Egypt. The Nile forced the people of Ancient Egypt to only settle beside the river (Document A). People of Ancient Egypt had to live beside the river because they were surrounded by deserts and mountains that wouldn't allow them to survive through the conditions of the heat and the little water sources (Document A). The most popular place to settle for the tribes of Egypt was at the delta of the river because it provided the most protection and water, the protection of the Mediterranean Sea, deserts, and the mountains/harsh terrain (Document A). Ancient Egypt was definitely influenced on where they settled because of the Nile. 5…show more content…
What would happen if the Nile ran out of water?
The comic shows that the Nile will run out of water by 2050; it would happen because of the Renaissance Dam and our consumption of water. If Egypt were run out of water, all of the Egypt’s civilization would be affected because the River Nile is the main factor of this civilization. Another major effect of the running of water is the agriculture in Egypt. To illustrate, the agriculture in Egypt operated by the Nile and it also mainly depends on the water from the Nile. If the Nile runs out of the water, the farmland will lose its fertility.
How Did People Achieve The Afterlife In Ancient Egypt?
During the Middle Kingdom, trade and transportation improved. They built dikes to trap the Niles water and use it for irrigation. The prosperity and the reign of the Middle Kingdom did not last very long. In about 1640 B.C, a group called the Hyksos ruled much of Egypt.
What are the similarities between Mesopotamia and Egypt?
Mesopotamia and Egypt civilization are two of the oldest civilization in the world. Comparing those two civilizations, there are many similarities and differences from each aspect of their culture. Firstly, both of them spread their civilization along the river, Mesopotamian civilizations expanded from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and Egypt spread from the Nile River. Secondly, both of two regions had their own writing script, Mesopotamian developed cuneiform script and Egypt developed hieroglyphic script. Furthermore, the nomadic people in those two regions caused lots of rebellions.
Why was the Nile the base of the Egyptians' seasons?
The Nile was the base of the Egyptians seasons because of the Nile’s flood season, the seasons were Akhet the flood season mid-June to mid-October, Peret the planting and growing season mid-October to mid-February, and Shemu the harvest season mid-February to mid-June (Document B). 95% of the people's jobs had to do with farming which became a common job because of the Nile (Document B and C). If the Nile didn’t exist their crops wouldn’t have grown as well or at all because the Nile brings sun and water to the crops during Akhet to let them grow (Document B/Information I already knew). The Nile changed so much of the economy that the Nile was almost like the governor of Ancient Egypt if they had one.
What was the ancient Egyptian growing season?
The Peret was the ancient Egyptian growing season. During this time farmers tended their fields, dug irrigation canals into the Nile so they could water their fields. The way the flooding of the Nile deposited the nutrients on top of the soil all their ploughs had to do was break up the topsoil before they planted the seed. Instead of having to turn over soil like heavy ploughs in other
How did Egypt compare to Mesopotamia?
To complete the argument about Egypt disliking other countries, in The Earth and Its People on page 27, it says, “Egypt largely stuck to itself during the Old and Middle Kingdoms, all foreigners being technically regarded as enemies.” While Mesopotamia wanted to seize other territories surrounding them, Egypt was the opposite. Egypt wanted to use the most of their resources in their own country. Mesopotamia and Egypt have many similarities socially, but the politics were quite different. The agriculture effected both social and political parts of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Why was the Nile important to Egypt?
The Nile was not just an agricultural boon for Egypt -- it also was the country's most important roadway, serving as the main thoroughfare to encourage travel and communication capabilities. This function helped to connect outlying portions of Egypt to the capital, enabling trade and communication. Although the ancient Egyptian society eventually ...
What did the Nile inspire the Egyptians to do?
The rise and fall of the Nile's life-giving waters inspired the ancient Egyptians to view it as a cycle of death and rebirth. The Egyptians experienced so much success cultivating the Nile that the area became densely populated.
What river did the Egyptians use to harness the Nile River?
A consistent freak act of nature allowed the Egyptians to harness the capabilities of the Nile River. While the majority of Egypt was and still is covered with the aforementioned sand, the river basin next to the Nile boasts wildlife and fertile soils.
What was the water that was collected in the canals and basins during the inundation period?
The water that had been collected in the canals and basins during the inundation period was enough to supply nourishment for the crops for the next year . Crops were harvested in June before the return of the floods. The cycle somewhat reliably repeated every year, although it sometimes produced more water than needed, which had negative effects on the crops.
What is the Nile surrounded by?
Other than the Nile, Egypt is surrounded by tons of sand, which isn't exactly conducive to agriculture and other cornerstones of civilization. Fortunately for the Egyptians, they knew just how to finesse the Nile and its capabilities to turn what would appear to be a barren wasteland into a thriving empire.
Why were dams built in Egypt?
In the early 1900s, several dams were built in southern Egypt in an effort to control the sometimes overzealous flooding. While the dams were able to control the floods to a manageable level, they also decreased the amount of sediment deposits, drastically reducing the fertility of the area.
Which country took control of the Nile?
Although the ancient Egyptian society eventually collapsed, the Nile continued to flow. Eventually, Great Britain took control of the Nile basin late in the 19th century, although it later relinquished control in Africa in the 1950s and 1960s.
What is the importance of the Nile River?
The importance of the Nile River in the ancient Egyptian civilization cannot be overstated. The Greek historian Herodotus is often credited with stating that Egypt was “the gift of the Nile.”. Flowing into Egypt from an elevation of 6,000 feet above sea level, Nile waters deposited silt, natural fertilizer, along its banks in Lower Egypt, ...
What was the Nile River?
The Nile River in Ancient Egyptian Civilization. By. Mike Streich. -. June 15, 2017. Nile River, flooding example. Egypt was the “gift of the Nile,” benefiting agriculturally from the flow of the river downward as it deposited silt along its banks, creating a thriving civilization. The importance of the Nile River in the ancient Egyptian ...
How did the Egyptians use irrigation?
Ancient Egyptians developed highly complex irrigation methods to maximize the effect of the Nile waters. When the Nile overflowed in mid summer, Egyptians diverted the waters through the use of canals and dams. As the water seeped into the farm land, rich deposits of silt ensured a bountiful harvest. This river valley allowed later Greeks ...
What did the Egyptians do during the period of inundation?
During the period or season of “inundation,” when Egypt became a virtual sea, the Egyptians used their time to work on state building projects. During the Old Kingdom, the pyramids were constructed through the labor of Egyptians, usually during periods when the Nile flooded its banks.
What did the Egyptians do to predict the impact of yearly inundations?
Egyptians developed methods of predicting the impact of yearly inundations, recording yearly water levels. The Old Testament story of Joseph in Egypt, most probably as a Vizier to the Pharaoh, illustrates Egyptian concerns regarding the flow of the Nile and its impact on future harvests. Although the story is not corroborated by other historical ...
Why was the Nile dam built?
The dam was constructed to control flooding, which had become a problem in Cairo, as well as to provide energy needs. Unfortunately, the disruption of the Nile led to the use of chemical fertilizing which has, over the years, led to toxic repercussions.
Where does the blue nile originate?
The Blue Nile begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, where yearly rains produce the waters that would inundate Egypt at the start of their 365 day calendar marking the day that Sirius rose at dawn. The White Nile originates in sub-tropical Africa at Lake Victoria. Ancient Egyptians developed highly complex irrigation methods to maximize the effect ...
How did the Nile River influence Egypt?
Traders used it to bring goods from farther south in Africa, as well as upriver from the Mediterranean. And soon, Egypt’s influence spread across the ancient world. Ancient Egyptians also moved pyramid-building supplies via the Nile River.
How long did the Nile flood?
Eventually, these ancient civilizations realized that the Nile was prone to an annual “flood of a hundred days, ” as spring rains hit the Ethiopian highlands, according to a 2009 collection of studies into the river's history, geology, biology and climate.
Why did the Egyptians build canals?
Ultimately, the ancient Egyptians and Nubians built canals and irrigation systems to control the water for their crops. Researchers believe that this advanced agricultural system gave birth to the ancient Egyptian civilization we remember today — the one of pharaohs and pyramids. This 1938 aerial image shows the pyramids and the Nile River Valley.
What is the Nubian civilization known for?
And the people who lived there frequently traded with their Egyptian neighbors. Nubia was known for its gold, ivory, ebony and incense.
What was the main force that helped Egypt build the pyramids?
Why did Egypt rise to power so early, and how did a society with so little rainfall support a population sufficient to build the pyramids? The answer can be traced back to a simple, but powerful force: the Nile River.
Where were the stones for the pyramids transported?
Scientists think many of the stones for the pyramids were transported from neighboring regions using the colossal waterway. Archaeologists suspect that the granite beams used in the inner chambers of the Great Pyramid at Giza were actually quarried hundreds of miles to the south. The Nile floods came in handy, too.
Where did much of what we know about ancient Nubia come from?
Much of what we now know about ancient Nubia comes from the things Egyptians wrote about it , as well as from archaeological excavations. These insights paint a picture of two ancient civilizations who alternated between being at peace and at war with each other.
