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Significance of the Nile to egyptian civilization
Significance of the Nile to egyptian civilization
Role of Nile in Egyptian civilization
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The Nile River is the longest river in the world, in fact, the river’s streams go through nine countries including Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Although the river runs through in multiple countries, it is mostly known for its history in ancient Egypt. The location of the Nile helped the ancient Egyptians prosper because of the bountiful resources. The Nile helped ancient Egyptians advance in numerous ways such as agriculture and farming, transportation, and the expression of their religion. Furthermore, these factors contributed to ideas used in the arts during this time of advancement. To begin with, the location of the river was beneficial to the advancement of cities across Egypt. In the map
For example, ancient Egyptian art has frequently been found within tombs, this was done to define the connection between the living and the dead. In fact, many included the Nile in their paintings such as Sennedjem, a tradesman. In his painting we can come to the conclusion that the afterlife consists of subjects harvesting plants and crops, and worshipping the sun god Ra, these figures are surrounded by the river. This symbolizes how the Nile shaped ancient Egypt because it shows how the river held the people together and allowed them to work as one. Another example is the song “Hymn to the Nile” because it establishes how the people sang it with passion and joy, not because a king or ruler forced it upon them, but for their love for the Nile River. Thus, confirming that the Nile inspired many new ideas and concepts. To conclude, one of the factors that helped the ancient Egyptians prosper was their geographical position near the Nile. The ancient Egyptians were able to advance agriculturally, economically, and religiously. Moreover, these factors contributed to ideas used in the arts during this time of advancement. This is one example from history using the natural structures and resources around them to adapt
The first way that the Nile shaped Ancient Egypt was through population distribution. According to document A, the map of Ancient Egypt, a lot of people lived among the Nile. But a majority lived by the delta. Living among the Nile and by the delta gave people fresh drinking water, good farmland, and ways of trading and transportation. The Red Land was land desert area that protected
The development of cities is essential in the development of a civilization. Egypt’s cities began close to the Nile River. The Nile ran directly through the land and was the main attraction to settlers. It flooded every year, and in doing so, it fertilized the ground and allowed the growth
In the “Hymn to the Nile”the author loves and praises the Nile River. He believes that everyone praises or should praise the Nile, which the Ancient Egyptians believed to be controlled by the river Gods. The Nile is there life source, their water, and food supply, also there way of trade. The author may love the Nile, but that doesn't mean everyone does or even should. Let’s say I grocery shop at Walmart, but others may shop at Fry’s, Basha’s, Sprouts, Target. There are other options, everyone has their Nile river per say but it may not all be
One of the ways that the Nile shaped Egypt was through economy. According to document A, the Nile’s location was perfect for trade and interaction with other nearby ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia and the Indus
Finally, the Nile provided Egypt with a multiplicity of religious beliefs. For example, the rise and fall of the water level led the Egyptians to witness the cycles of birth, death, and re-birth. They believed that the gods controlled the Nile, so this led the river to becoming one of the many things they worshipped. The god of the Nile was known as “Hapi” and the Egyptians thought he provided them with water and fertilization. Furthermore, the belief of an afterlife came from the Nile. They believed that after death they would ride an “underneath” version of the Nile to their afterlife. The river not only impacted people on a physical level, but on a personal level.
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
Conscious of the geographical region, Egyptians settled around the Nile, as the Nile provided substance (agriculture, irrigation, trading routes, etc.). The Egyptians noticed that the Nile would flood regularly, and exploited this natural flooding by building an irrigation system to support their agriculture, as well as their society. “Hymn to the Nile” depicts this prosperous age of agriculture, “Lord of the fish, during the inundation, no bird alights on the crops. You create the grain, you bring forth the barley, assuring perpetuity to the temples.” ("Ancient History Sourcebook: Hymn to the Nile, c. 2100 BCE."). However, the Nile might have contributed to the eventual collapse of ancient Old Kingdom Egyptian civilization. The Nile partially destroyed the society that it had once nurtured. A series of low or high floods over the course of a few years immensely impacted their agriculture, which in turn created epidemics of famine and civil unrest. The Egyptian civilization eventually prospered once more, only centuries later and with new social
The locations of both of these civilizations has guided them through survival and existence. Ancient Egypt was located near the Nile River, which produced a fertile area in the middle of a desert. The people relied on this sector for two effects, which were food and water and the environment
"All of Egypt is the gift of the Nile." It was the Greek historian Herodotus who made that observation. The remarkable benefits of the Nile are clear to everyone, but through history he was the first to talk about it and consider its fascination. Through history, the Nile played a major role in the building of civilizations. The first civilizations to appear in history started on a river valley or in a place where resources are numerous and example of these are in India where Indus river is found and Tigris where Euphrates is found and many other places (cradles of civilization).
The Nile River did not play a big role in ancient Egypt’s afterlife. The people of the Nile River Civilization were polytheistic, which means they worshipped multiple gods. The
The Nile, is the longest river in the world, and is located in northeastern Africa. Its principal source is Lake Victoria, in east central Africa. The Nile flows north through Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea, with a total distance of 5584 km. From its remotest headstream in Burundi, the river is 6671 km long. The river basin covers an area of more than 3,349,000 sq km. Not only is the Nile considered a wonder by Herodotus, but by people all over the world, due to its impotance to the growth of a civilization.The first great African civilization developed in the northern Nile Valley in about 5000 BC.
Civilizations in close proximity to a river had a source of water for drinking, bathing, cooking, and irrigation purposes. As salt water accounted for the majority of the Earth’s water supply, people had to dig a well or live near a freshwater river or stream to have access to life-giving water and survive. The Nile River, located in Egypt, is the world’s longest river. It provided for the Egyptian’s water requirements in abundance. This plentiful supply of fresh water was a constant source of enrichment to the people’s lives.
Another way Egypt can be called the gift of the Nile is because they believed that there many gods had control over the river. For example they believed that the water that flows in the Nile comes from the mouth of their most powerful god Ra. They also believed that certain animals such as cats, jackals and ibises were actually gods in disguise watching over them so these animals were sacred to the people and mummified after death . In fact it was
The Nile River had great influence on Ancient Egyptian culture. The Nile is the longest river in the world, that is located in Africa, was the source of livelihood for the ancient Egyptians as it was used for trade and hunting, as well as, drinking and fishing. It was also used for bathing and other hygiene purposes. It was the source of Ancient Egypt’s wealth, treasures, and the greatest arteries supplied the land with blessings and drown ancient Egyptians in various graces through the ages as the emitter of life in Egypt and the source of its existence, because it watered ancient Egyptian’s lands. The Nile had the greatest impact on timeless civilization that originated on it in the past ages, the Nile held oldest civilization immortalized in history. Ancient Egyptians could not have survived without the Nile River, which in essence, inspired their way of living, “The country’s verdant green fields and bountiful food resources depended on the fertile soil of the Nile flood plain” (Silverman 12). In turn, many ancient
Providing extremely fertile soil is one, if not the most important, roles the Nile River played in the life of the ancient Egyptians. By providing fertile soil, the Nile made it easy for cities and civilizations to grow alongside the banks of the river. This fertile soil comes from the annual flooding of the Nile. This replenishes the top soil with silt deposits that hold much needed nutrients for crops to grow. Ancient Egyptians developed highly complex irrigation methods to maximize the effect of the Nile waters. When the Nile overflows in mid summer, Egyptians divert the waters through the use of canals and dams. As the water seeped into the farm land, rich deposits of silt ensured a good harvest for the year. This allows the civilizations of Egyptians to grow enough food to feed the community. Without the annual flooding of the Nile, Egyptians would have a very difficult time growing necessary amount food to sustain life. Most of the land in the Egyptian nation is dry desert. Very little rain falls year round here. The river provides the needed water to grow the crops as well as provide drinking water for the people. Th...