Examination of the Nile River - 652 Words

A brief examination of the influence of the Nile river on ancient Egypt shows that geography and environment play significant roles in the development and interaction of the societies found within them. The ancient historian Herodotus even referred to Egypt as the gift of the Nile (Hanna). This is true at the most fundamental level: without the Nile most of Egypt would be a nearly uninhabitable desert. However, this claim is true on many more levels as well. Water was not the only gift that the Nile brought. Its yearly floods also spread new nutrient-rich soil from the river bottom and further upriver, and washed away depleted topsoil. These floods make the region surrounding the Nile especially fertile. The civilization that this fertile land allowed to flourish then developed irrigation systems that made even more of the valley fertile. This proved to be a tipping point, allowing the ancient Egyptian civilization to produce crop surpluses. These surpluses gave Egypt a powerful econ omy, which drove growth in a number of other areas. They allowed the upper classes to educate and maintain a class of scribes, clerics, and engineers. This class created writing, and the engineering needed for their irrigation and construction projects. The surplus also allowed Egypt to provide other countries with both necessary staples like wheat and luxuries like papyrus. This gave Egypt a pre-eminent position amongst the other nations of its time. The crop surpluses let Egypt train aShow MoreRelatedThe Egyptian, Assyrian, And Persian Empires1580 Words   |  7 Pagesthe banks of the Nile and the sun in providing Egypt’s thriving welfare. The sun god took different forms and names, depending on his specific role. For example, the sun god was worshiped as Atum in human form, but also as Re who had a human body and head of a falcon. The land and river gods included Isis and Osiris. A well-known Egyptian myth told the conflict between Osiris and his evil brother Seth, who ki lled him, cut his body into 14 pieces, and threw away the parts into the Nile. Isis, Osiris’Read MoreAncient Egypt And Ancient Egyptian Culture2322 Words   |  10 PagesLevant and Mesopotamia is indeed optimistic. An examination of the environment of ancient Egypt affected daily life as this would in turn influence the culture, and whether or not this played a role in making ancient Egyptian life and culture more optimistic. It is also essential that the ancient Egyptian myths and religion be explored to determine whether or not it contained the same optimistic outlook as the culture had. Furthermore, an examination into ancient Egyptian literature and poetry andRead MoreEgypt : The Egyptian Civilization920 Words   |  4 Pagesimportant or significant to the rise of Egypt. Egypt is known to be one of the longest lasted civilization in the world. It is located in the Nile Valley, in the north east of Africa. Its origins lay in several chiefdoms in Upper Egypt, at Abydos and Hierakonpolis. The Nile River was far the most significant aspect of Egypt because the flooding of the Nile shape Egyptian civilization tremendously. It also produced the first government to rule an entire nation. Egypt covered an entire country thousandsRead MoreThe Is The Limitless Multiplication Of Unnecessary Necessities By Mark Twain Essay1558 Words   |  7 Pages in modern-day Turkey (Middle East). Population of city may have been as high as 10,000. A channel was cut from a nearby river to irrigate farmland. A major problem for early societies was diseases humans could catch from animals. Over time, humans became immune to diseases pass from domesticated animals. Most early civilizations developed near a major source of water. Rivers and lakes provided water for crop s, irrigation, and later, transportation. Division of labor evolved, allowing workers toRead MoreThe Importance Of The Ancient Egyptian Pyramids In Giza1392 Words   |  6 Pagesimportant to the Egyptians. This begs the question, why did Khufu build such great pyramid? Was it just a symbol of power or was it also a way to reach the Gods in death? While no one can be sure how and why exactly the pyramids were built, through the examination of the theory given by Peter Hodges, as the lever theory, and of Mark Lehner, with the ramp theory, it is seeming to be more evident that Khufu’s Great Pyramid in Giza was built using extensive manpower and the use of ramps. The people of EgyptRead MoreData On The Spore Of Myxobolus Dermatobius Ishii1566 Words   |  7 PagesUltrastructural data on the spore of Myxobolus dermatobius Ishii, 1915 (Myxosporea: Myxobolidae) infecting eye of Nile-tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Egypt NOSSEUR M . EL-SAYED Department of Parasitology , Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt. E- mail:nosseur@gmail.com Abstract A total of 1000 cultured Nile-tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were collected from different governmental and private fish farms and examined for detection of myxosporean parasites infectionRead MoreFrom the Great Wall to the Pyramids1154 Words   |  5 Pagessimilarities between the two cultures as is highlighted when examining the Analects and The Book of the Dead. On the surface, the social behavior and values emphasized in the Analects and The Book of the Dead resemble one another; however, upon closer examination it becomes apparent that the origin and purpose behind the actions different greatly. The purpose of the two literatures contrast due to the lifestyles and beliefs that were held during each of the corresponding civilizations. Though the textsRead MoreAncient Sumer vs, Ancient Egypt1584 Words   |  7 Pages (The Babylonian Account of the Flood, HD #3). The Egyptians had a different attitude toward the annual flooding of the River Nile. They realized that the flooding made their land more fertile for farming, which is how the Egyptians grew their food to keep them alive. The Egyptians believed that the gods rewarded them by flooding the Nile each year. They thought that the Nile was The bringer of all food, rich in provisions, creator of all food, lord of majesty, sweet of fragrance. (SPV 21) AnotherRead MoreThe Population Of Egypts Capital1289 Words   |  6 PagesEGYPT Demographics The population of Egypt’s capital, Cairo, consists of an estimated 86,730,000 citizens. Arabic is the official language of this Islamic religion region. The banks of the Nile is where most of the citizens of Egypt choose to reside; with an estimate of five thousand persons per square mile. The remaining two-fifths of Egypt population are urbanized. The trend of the younger generation’s accompanying these areas range in ages fifteen to thirty years, with one third under fifteenRead MoreThe Relationship Between Mythology And History : Ancient Mesopotamia And Egypt1125 Words   |  5 Pagesfound worthy are further tested and allowed entrance into the afterlife if successful . In addition to surviving written accounts such as The Book of the Dead, archeological evidence also contributes to our knowledge of religious practices by examination of the physical remains of Egyptian artifacts . One example is the remnants of a commercial district that once existed in the Egypt’s capital, Memphis, which funded the religious institutions and monument construction during the Old Kingdom . Archeology