
Shemu. (Egyptology) One of the three seasons of Ancient Egypt coming after Peret and before Akhet; Harvest.
What was the first season of ancient Egypt?
The first season of ancient Egypt, Akhet, marked the period between June and September when the banks of the Nile River flooded, with flood waters bringing fertile mud and silt to the region. It was followed by Peret, lasting from October to February, during which crops were planted and grown.
How did the seasons affect farming in ancient Egypt?
There were two seasons that affected farming: growing season and harvest season. In the harvest season, you may not have been able to harvest the wheat you wanted because your landlord may have made you cut his first. The tools used in ancient Egypt agriculture included: plows, sickles, hoes, forks, scoops, baskets, shaduf, skiffs, and sieves.
How did they farm in ancient Egypt?
At first, people farmed by just digging a hole in the ground for each seed with a stick, as you do when you plant a vegetable garden in your back yard (Egyptian Crops). But that’s hard work, and slow.
How many months are in the season of the harvest?
The Season of the Harvest was divided into four months. In the lunar calendar, each began on a dawn when the waning crescent moon was no longer visible. In the civil calendar, each consisted of exactly 30 days divided into three 10-day weeks known as decans .

What was the harvesting season in ancient Egypt?
The Season of the Harvest was known to the Egyptians themselves as "Low Water" (Ancient Egyptian: Šmw), variously transliterated as Shemu or Shomu, in reference to the state of the Nile before the beginning of its annual flood. It is also referred to as Summer or the Dry Season.
In which months did the Egyptians harvest their crops?
Egyptian farmers divided their year into three seasons, based on the cycles of the Nile River:Akhet - the inundation (June-September): The Flooding Season. No farming was done at this time, as all the fields were flooded. ... Peret (October-February): The Growing Season. ... Shemu (March-May): The Harvesting Season.
What were the 3 seasons in ancient Egypt?
2450 B.C.), and quite possibly several centuries earlier, the Egyptians had developed a “civil” calendar composed of twelve months of thirty days each (360 days), divided into three seasons—Inundation (Akhet), Emergence (Peret), and Harvest (Shemu)—of four months each, with five epagomenal days (days outside the ...
What is the season of harvesting?
Typically harvest season starts late September or early October for those farming and growing crops outside. Before the weather changes and cools as autumn approaches, the crops are cut and collected, ready to be used for cooking and eating.
How many farming seasons were there in ancient Egypt?
three different seasonsOne distinguishing feature of Ancient Egyptian Farming was that the year was split into three different seasons. Each season determined what the farmers would do. The first season in the Egyptian calendar was Akhet. Akhet was the flooding season or the season of the inundation.
What did ancient Egyptians harvest?
The Egyptians grew a variety of crops for consumption, including grains, vegetables and fruits. However, their diets revolved around several staple crops, especially cereals and barley. Other major grains grown included einkorn wheat and emmer wheat, grown to make bread.
What are the Egyptian seasons called?
The civil calendar was divided into three seasons based on Nile observations: the season of inundation (Akhet), the season of growth (Peret), and the season of harvest (Shemu).
What are the 4 periods of ancient Egypt in order?
First Intermediate Period Egypt (2168-2010 BCE/BC) Middle Kingdom Egypt (2010-1640 BCE/BC) Second Intermediate Period Egypt (1640-1548) New Kingdom Egypt (1548-1086)
How many seasons did Egyptians get every year?
The Egyptian calendar was based of a year of 365 days, with twelve months and three seasons.
What is harvested date by?
The harvest date tells you when the fruit was crushed. So look for a harvest date if you can find one and make sure it's fresh — harvested no more than a year ago is ideal.
Is autumn the harvest season?
Since most crops are planted in the spring season and allowed to grow during the summer months, autumn is the time when crops are finally ready to be harvested.
Which is the ideal month for harvesting?
Answer. Answer: In India, the season is popularly considered to start in June and end in October. Kharif crops are usually sown at the beginning of the first rains during the advent of the south-west monsoon season, and they are harvested at the end of monsoon season (October-November).
Which month was planting time in Egypt?
The soil left behind by the flooding is known as silt and was brought from Ethiopian Highlands by the Nile. Planting took place in October once the flooding was over, and crops were left to grow with minimal care until they ripened between the months of March and May.
When was the wheat harvest in ancient Egypt?
Cereal cultivation along the Nile River Barley and wheat formed the basis of agriculture during this Predynastic Period circa 5000 to 3100 BC, as well as during the Early Dynastic Period from around 3100 to 2686 BC, and throughout the progression of the civilization until the conquest of Alexander the Great in 332 BC.
What months are Peret?
Although the growing season was actually five months long, Peret (like Akhet and Shemu) was four months long, covering the planting season and early growth of the crops. Peret began early in January and ran until early May (although dates varied due to the movements of the civil calendar).
Experts of Observation
The Nile is at the heart of most things Egyptian, and this calendar is no exception. The ancients monitored Nile water activity from its flooding to its retreat; observing that the Nile began its routine flooding every 365 days, Egyptians put together what is now known as the 12-month calendar, similar to that in circulation.
Three Seasons
The civil calendar was divided into three seasons based on Nile observations: the season of inundation ( Akhet ), the season of growth ( Peret ), and the season of harvest ( Shemu ).
Why is it so hard to grow vegetables in Egypt?
But that’s hard work, and slow. It is particularly hard in Egypt because the heavy, clayey soil laid down by the Nile floods is hard to make furrows in.
What are the two seasons of farming?
There were two seasons that affected farming: growing season and harvest season . In the harvest season, you may not have been able to harvest the wheat you wanted because your landlord may have made you cut his first.
Why is the soil in Egypt so hard?
It is particularly hard in Egypt because the heavy, clayey soil laid down by the Nile floods is hard to make furrows in. So by around 3000 BC people in Egypt had invented the animal-drawn plow, which made planting a lot easier. As soon as the flood began to recede the Ancient Egyptians ploughed the soil ready for sowing.
How many steps were there in the cultivation of grain?
In the cultivation of grain, there were eight steps that the ancient farmer knew as well as he knew his own land. The cultivated land was ploughed with a wooden axe. The fruit grown consisted of dates, figs, grapes, pomegranates, and melons.

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