Mills Jordan

Mr. Flanigan

Honors Global Studies Survey

6 February 2018

The Effect of the Nile on Ancient Egypt

The single, common characteristic found between the earliest civilizations across the

ancient world is that they all are situated near a major river. Ancient Egypt was no exception to

this rule, for it began right along the Nile. The Nile River gifted Egyptians with the ability to trade,

successfully farm, find access to drinking water, and other necessities required to achieve

civilization. The Nile shaped ancient Egypt by determining the survival and wellbeing of the

people, the seasons of the year, and the location of cities.

The Egyptians relied on the river to live, for it provided access to essential nourishment.

The author of Document E likely wrote this piece after a successful flood to show gratitude for the

waterway and spread that feeling to others. As mentioned in Document E, animals are more

prevalent near the Nile than elsewhere in the country, and one such creature, the Nile perch, was

a common source of protein in Egypt. Also Document D, which represents important parts of

Egyptian culture to acknowledge Sennedjem’s life, pictures wheat and barley, the two main crops,

which depended on the annual floods so that rich silt covers the ground, and the soil receives

enough water for the plants to flourish. Lastly, the final verse of Document E emphasizes the

significance of the river, for if it did not flood, then all the people would suffer because their food

sources would be diminished.

 Using evidence from Document B, the river set the three seasons of the Egyptian year based

off flooding. This chart, designed to educate students on flood phases, describes the following

seasons: Akhet, the flood season which Egyptians believed was caused by Isis’ tears for Osiris;

Peret, the planting season with medium water heights; and Shemu, the harvest season.

Interestingly, Ibn Battuta, an explorer whose opinions seem well defended by his travels, notices

the Nile floods during the hottest season, blessing people with coolness during summer. Each

season is significant because it dictates the farmer’s duties during that time. During Akhet it is too

wet to plant, so they choose to perform public service, but during Shemu they relax from farm

work but keep busy by selling crops at the market. Evidently, the lifestyle of a farmer fluctuates

between laborer, farmer, and salesman depending upon the flood stages of the Nile.

The map on Document A, which is most likely intended to assist students in learning the

geography of Egypt, illustrates that the Nile greatly affected the location of cities. First, every

major town was located along the river because it provides the only arable land in the region since

everywhere else is desert. Next, the higher concentration of cities was found in Lower Egypt

because, as noted in Document C which also educates students on ancient Egypt, the river flows

from south to north which makes the northernmost cities more easily accessible by river since

sailors can easily take the river. Lastly, there is only one major city, Abu Simbel, found past the

First Cataract, for the cataracts are rockier and contain white water often causing ships to sink. The

Nile River is the deciding factor for locating a city so that it is strategically located for trade and

resources.

The abundance of food, the lifestyle of farmers, and the placement of towns are all

dependent on the longest river in the world, the Nile. Egypt became one of the most prestigious

early civilizations in a large part because of the blessing of the Nile which gifted the people with
plant and animal life for their nourishment. Not only did the Nile allow Egyptians to live, but the

trade it attracted made Egypt wealthy as one can learn by reading the description of the pyramid

written by Herodotus, who was a pioneer in Egyptian history and yearned for the greater population

to learn the fascinating past of the region. With easy transportation, advanced science, and

revolutionary technology in the world today, people often forget how big a role nature played in

the day-to-day life of the world’s people over the last twenty thousand years.