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Nile River Cycle Analysis

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In Egypt, the Nile River creates a rich green valley across the desert. It was by the banks of the river that one of the oldest civilizations in the world began. The ancient Egyptians lived and farmed along the Nile, using the soil to produce food for themselves and their animals. Document A, a map of Egypt around 1500 BCE, was founded by multiple sources and was created in order to illustrate how the placement of the river was beneficial to the success of cities across Egypt. The creators of this map had no bias because the structure of the document is strictly factual. The map demonstrates the areas that are gray represent the fertile Nile Valley. The Nile Valley is spread across lower and upper Egypt, from cities such as Buto to Abu Simbel. It is an important document because it clarifies how the river was able to have a strong influence on the citizens of Egypt. This indicates that there was a vast number of people that had to depend on the Nile as a freshwater source, even for tasks included in their daily life.
Document B, a chart of “The Nile River Flood Cycle,” written by Katherine Hinds was written to explain how the different seasons of Egypt were affected by the river’s flood cycle. Hinds’ view on the river’s flood cycle may be influenced by the fact that she will unintentionally compare ancient Egypt’s different seasons to modern times, however, this bias is not evident in the text. The seasons mentioned were Akhet, the flood season, Peret, the planting and growing season, and Shemu, the harvest season. Akhet took place in mid-June to mid-October, and in these months the fields were subjected to flooding, due to the surrounding river, which meant farmers were provided with more labor such as canal repair. Peret came to pass in mid-October to mid-February where enough time has passed for the water to subside and supply irrigation canals, in which crops were planted and sustained until Shemu, which took place until the cycle resumed its place in Akhet, where they were then harvested and sold in the market. The document’s intent was to express how the different seasons were useful to everyday life long ago. It is significant because it shows how people were employed and citizens were provided with

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