Dbq Essay On Ancient Egypt

550 Words2 Pages

Was it a gift or a curse? The Nile is the world's longest river at 4,160 miles. Of that total, approximately 660 to 700 miles of the Nile are actually in Egypt. It is one of the four most important river civilizations in the world. Land in Egypt was called Black Land (representing life) and Red Land (representing danger). For Egyptians, the Nile meant the difference between life and death. Today, we know that the Nile influenced ancient Egypt in many areas of life such as providing food, shelter and faith to the people. Specific areas dealing with settlement location, agricultural cycle, jobs, trade, transportation and spiritual beliefs will prove the case. One area influenced by the Nile was settlement location. Egyptians settled all along …show more content…

The Egyptians had three four-month seasons (Doc B). The seasons were flooding (Akhet), planting (Peret) and harvesting (Shemu). The Nile set the Egyptian calendar and the agricultural cycle for farmers’ work activity and crop growth. Several occupations depended on the Nile River (Doc C). Sailors, boat builders, fishermen and farmers depended on the river transport to market crops and make money. The Egyptians used sailboats, barges and tugs for transportation and trade (Doc C). The Nile was like the superhighway of ancient Egypt. It helped them move crops and goods up and down the river and sell beyond their local market. Nothing could happen without the Nile. Finally, the Nile influenced spiritual beliefs. Egyptians believed that the Nile would provide for them even in the afterlife (Doc D). The Nile was reflected in bottom panel of the tomb painting like the one of paradise called Field of Reeds. If it did not exist, there would be nothing to draw in the paintings – no water, the crops, no people, the boat rides. Egyptians sang hymn of praise and thanks to the Nile (Doc E). The hymn shows that Egyptians worshipped the river and believed it had the power to bring happiness or sorrow. The people knew that there was a strong connection between the river and their

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