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 …show more content…
Because they grew only one crop per year, the nutrients were not depleted quickly and of course, each flood washed new fertile sediment onto the floodplains where they planted their crops. (Struggle Over the Nile).
Damming of the Nile
Life on the river was pretty much the same for thousands of years, until 1889 when the first Aswan Dam was built in an attempt to control the yearly floods. It proved to be insufficient and was raised two more times until it was decided to build another dam upstream in 1946. Once these dams were functional they provided many benefits to the rapidly growing population, including easier access to drinking water, irrigation for agriculture, electricity for modern life and fishing (Burke and Eaton) . Certainly the benefits to Egyptians were numerable and undeniable. The does not mean there were no negative impacts.The yearly floods no longer came and all that good, nutrient-rich silt that used to wash down the Nile and onto the flood plans was now blocked by the dams. “Before the Aswan High Dam, the Nile River carried about 124 million tons of sediment to the sea each year, depositing nearly 10 million tons on the floodplain and delta. Today, 98% of that sediment remains behind the dam. The result has been a drop in soil productivity and depth, among other serious changes to Egypt’s floodplain agriculture. The Aswan Dam has also led
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,
The Nile influenced Ancient Egypt in many ways. The first way is the flooding cycle. In paragraph six in,”How did the Nile shape Ancient Egypt it says”,”The flooding cycle determined the planting season for farmers. When it was planting season they grew flax for producing fine linen. They also harvested papyrus.
The Nile flood cycle was broken up into three different seasons. The first was Akhet (flood season), which happened mid-June to mid-October. During this time, the Nile flooded and land was fertilized. Farmers had to find other means of work during this time, such as repairing canals, or working in the quarries. The second season was Peret (planting & growing season), which happened mid-October to mid-February. During this time the flooding stopped, and crops were planted and tended to. The final season was Shemu (harvest season), which happened mid-February to mid-June. During this time, crops in the Lower Nile were harvested and sent to the market. The lives of Ancient Egyptians depended on the success of the flood cycle. If one year, there was a “bad Nile,” the lives of Ancient Egyptians were put at risk. Too little water could cause the soil to be dry, which would cause a bad harvest. On the other hand, too much water can cause the soil to have excess water, which could affect the growth of the crops. The Nile River decided the fate of the Ancient Egyptians. Understanding the flood cycle was imperative to the success of Ancient
The Nile River is approximately 4,260 miles long. It holds the record for being the longest river in the world. The Nile was a life source for Egyptians. The fertile land from the frequent flooding was very beneficial for Egyptians. They began to grow crops alongside the Nile. Beans, wheat, and cotton were among the crops being grown. However, the amount of crops grown was limited because the land did not extend very far. The land good enough to support farming was composed of two thin strips of land on either side of the river. Farming opened the door to a critical advancement in human life.
Time after time throughout history we see civilizations succeeding by rivers such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley and the Yellow River. One of the things the rivers provided in Mesopotamia was the “ground is extremely fertile”. The Mesopotamians used the river for irrigation and the rich soil to produce and abundance of resources to support a large population.
The Nile was a great river that provided good resources enabling the people of Egypt to survive without
Just as the Tigris and Euphrates rivers shaped the worldview of early Mesopotamians, The Nile shaped the world view of the Egyptians. The Nile River was easily navigated and fairly temperate, which made for one of the greatest agricultural regions in the world at that time. Like clockwork, each year the Nile River would flood the land, leaving behind nutrient-rich silt that provided a bountiful harvest the following season. Due to the agricultural success of the land that followed the Nile the majority of Egyptians would settle close to it shores. The Nile Rivers benevolent waters also allowed the Egyptians to transport its most valuable resources to the southern regions of Africa, especially the divine metal that had been endowed by the gods to Egypt's elite. Even today the Egyptians are considered to be the pioneers of water management.
Rivers can help develop different civilizations such as the Nile River. This great river measures thirty five hundred miles through many different countries (Orlin, 2010). The Nile helped to bring life, security and dictated how the people planned activities throughout the year. For example, the farmers would seed the land after the Nile would start swell and then recede to its normal banks (Orlin, 2010). This helped the seedlings to grow and then produce bountiful harvest. The Nile provided security for the Egyptian people by allowing the reeds and natural grasses around the bank of the river (Orlin, 2010). This would allow any enemy that wanted to attack to not
It is continually praised throughout the text, that every God and Pharaoh praised the river for bringing them riches. It was a major influence to the inhabitants and their religion. The river made it possible for the people to actually live in the desert barren place, it was the only way could fertilize the land for crops and animals. The river did flood once in a while, but they were predictable compare to other regions. This allowed the people to prepare for the upcoming flood; but they weren’t so bad. The floods would bring in more water for the animals but also leave behind a plentiful amount of mud for soil use. The river brought people from all over to trade, to shape culture, religion, and arts to the Egyptian’s peoples
Without the ebb and flow of the great Nile River, Egyptian civilization might not have ever existed. The Nile, the longest river in the world, led to prosperity like no other waterway before. Flowing northward, the river was the foundation of Egypt’s economy and lifestyle. The Nile shaped Ancient Egypt through providing stability as a civilization, offering agricultural success, and influencing Egyptian culture. Egypt became a long-lasting civilization as a result of the Nile’s ability to support the needs of the people, including settlement and trade.
Thesis: The Nile River undoubtedly shaped the Egyptian’s lives -- for the better. It affected every aspect of their lives, which included economics, government, culture, and agriculture.
Across history the River Nile has captivated philosophers, geographers, historians, engineers, politicians since the humans set their eyes on its water. A great civilization had been flourished along the Nile banks, the Pharaonic civilization. Herodotus, described Egypt as “an acquired country, a gift of the River Nile” [1]. The River Nile is considered the second longest river in the world. It has a length of about 6,500 km which extends from the most remote source, at the head if the river Luvironza (near Lake Tanganyika), to its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile basin in its present situation covers a drainage area of about 3.11x106 km2. The basin extends from 4°S to 31°N latitude and from 21° 30’E to 40° 30’E longitude. The highest
The overflow, flooding, or lack thereof of the rivers as well as weather differences contributed greatly to the economic stability of each country. As previously stated, Mesopotamians were farmers. The flooding of the Tigris and the
The civilization of Ancient Egypt was one of the earliest in history one of the things that most help the Ancient egyptians was the Nile river.The Nile river is located in egypt and was a huge benefit to the Ancient Egyptians (Transportation,Water,Food),. Today i am going to explain why that is.
Egypt is the most iconic of the river valley civilizations and it is also one of the most significant civilizations of all. The trade mark of Egypt is the Nile River. It was the most Important part of the geography. The predictable and cyclical flooding of the Nile was what helped agriculture thrive in Egypt. Agriculture emerged in Egypt by 5,000 BCE. The flooding of the river acted as a perfect irrigation system for plants and silt that cam from the river was nutrient rich and helped grow plants at a great scale. Egyptian agriculture was so successful that there was a great surplus of food.