The Nile: How it Shaped Ancient Egypt

What would you do if you were thirsty? You would take a drink from your water bottle, right? However, what if you lived in Ancient Egypt? They didn’t have water bottles and couldn’t just turn on the tap. Ancient Egyptians did not have the technology we have today to perform simple tasks we consider easy, such as transporting heavy blocks for building. They couldn’t just turn a key to start a truck to transport a 2 ton block hundreds of miles. So,  you may be wondering, what did they do? Push the block? Tie a rope to it and pull the block? Of course not! They floated them down the Nile River in boats, but before we get any deeper, you need to know some background. Ancient Egypt started in 2920 BCE, when the first pharaohs united Upper and Lower Egypt into the powerful kingdom of Egypt, and ended in 30 BCE, when the Romans conquered the kingdom. Running right through Egypt was, and still does, the mighty Nile River in all of its 4,184 miles of glory, influencing the kingdom of Egypt in every way imaginable. Egypt’s cities were all along the Nile. Egyptians had three seasons, Akhet (flood season), Peret (planting and growing season), and Shemu (harvest season), all based on the flooding patterns of the Nile. To the north of Egypt, there was the Mediterranean Sea. To the east of Egypt was the Eastern Desert. To the west of Egypt was the Western Desert. The Egyptians were pretty closed off, so how did they survive? The Nile, of course! The Nile was an oasis in the desert for the people of Egypt. Now that you know the basics, let’s take the time to answer our real question. There is no doubt the Nile shaped Ancient Egypt, but in what ways? The next paragraphs will talk about how the Nile impacted worship, workforce, and trade and transportation. Let’s begin!

                

One of the things the Nile shaped in Ancient Egypt was how they worshipped. This was shown in the song “Hymn to the Nile” where it states, “Hail to you, oh Nile…who produces barley and makes wheat grow… if he is sluggish, noses suffocate, everyone is impoverished… If he rises, the land is in exultation, and everyone is in joy.” which, to my understanding, means the Nile lets food grow, and if it wasn’t there, people would die and everyone who did not would be extremely poor, and if it flooded just right, everyone would be happy and the land rich(Doc E). This shows how much they worshipped the Nile because, if the Nile flooded just a little too much, or just a little too little, their lives would be thrown in poverty. That’s a good reason to worship, right? This was also shown in their calendar where it says, “Akhet (flood season) June-Mid October: Fields in the Nile floodplain covered in water and fertilized by a new batch of silt.”, which said that the fields were flooded, so farmers didn’t have much to do(Doc B). No work=more time to worship, right? Again, the Nile’s flooding pattern affects people’s worship. Yet another example lies in a tomb painting from the tomb of a tradesman named Sennedjem (Doc D). The added note states “The afterlife of Ancient Egypt was a paradise called the Field of Reeds, shown in this tomb painting.”, so the people of Ancient Egypt worship gods so they could get into the Field of Reeds. The painting shows several boats, plants, and irrigation canals, all of which needs the Nile to work, or live. In addition, the borders show the Nile filling the irrigation canals. Even the things they worship to “live” in, so to speak, after death, they cannot escape the Nile.

                

Another one of the things the Nile shaped in Ancient Egypt was their workforce. This was shown in the illustration by Oliver Frey showing boats in the Nile (Doc C). This picture alone shows at least 5 occupations that rely pretty heavily on the Nile, such as farmer, rower, boat builders, cloth makers, and rope makers. This was also shown in the calendar, which has each of the 3 flood-based seasons (Doc B). Notice that each one determines what farmers will do during that time. Remember, farmers made up 95% of the population of Ancient Egypt. Once again, the Nile manages to shape 95% of the population of Ancient Egypt.

                

The 3^rd thing that the Nile shaped in Ancient Egypt was transportation and trade. Do you know how Egyptians got stones from hundreds of miles away from Giza to Giza to build the Great Pyramids? Do you know how Hatshepsut’s first trading phenomenon to Punt was accomplished? (Journey Across Time). By the Nile, of course! This was shown in the map of Ancient Egypt (Doc A). As you can see, the Nile Delta flows into the Mediterranean Sea, a perfect trading route to foreign countries. Another example is the illustration by Oliver Frey showing boats transporting goods to other locations (Doc C). One boat is carrying an obelisk, another a casket. They are carrying things in days what it might take weeks or months to carry on foot. Remember, these obelisks could weigh up to 2 or more tons!

                

Nothing in Ancient Egypt could avoid the Nile, not even their imagination, work, or even death. The Nile shaped just about everything in Ancient Egypt, and I think the most important were worship, trade and transportation, and workforce. However, other river civilizations did not work the same way with the same strong bond. For example, the Tigris and Euphrates of Mesopotamia’s floods were unpredictable and sometimes did more damage than good and did not affect Mesopotamia’s religion in the same way. The Nile also provided more natural defenses, such as the cataracts and waterfalls protecting Egypt from foreign attacks and eventually led to Egypt’s rise. The Nile is quite literally the “backbone” of Egypt, both geographically and politically.