The Society of Egypt
Works Cited Not Included
The cultural traditions, social behavior and practices of any society in history are inextricably linked to the weather and climate of its region. River mouths have always been popular settling spots, even dating back to the ancient civilizations; these water sources provided life, transportation, and basic survival for these communities. Cairo was founded below the delta on the Nile River in Egypt because of the existence of the Nile. Today, this region is hot and dry with the exception of the land directly bordering the Nile. The climate and current weather in Cairo have a substantial impact on everyday life and society in this region. Unfortunately, because of the harsh environment of this northern African region, Cairo society as it is currently is unsustainable.
The northern African Nile region was once a fertile, green, moist area of the world in post-glacial years (Lamb p90-91). Certain species existed in this area because of the moisture the Nile created in the region. Ancient Egyptian civilization in fact thrived because of the predictable and expansive flooding of the river that allowed for innovative irrigation and agricultural techniques necessary to create and maintain a stable and thriving civilization. Because of the initial success of the civilization in this region people continued to settle in Cairo as well as along the entire span of the Nile. Over the centuries however, as worldwide climate has changed and been altered by the increasing world population, the climate and weather in the Nile region as changed dramatically both naturally as well as resulting from human behavior.
Desertification, overpopulation, and excessive and rapid industrialization have...
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... the boundaries of everyday life for most people. Even the most affluent population of the world cannot always buy its way out of issues caused by climate change and environmental degradation due to human behavior.
Conclusion
Despite the socioeconomic and environmental issues of Cairo, Egypt continues to be a popular tourist destination because of its rich history. Although the region is suffering dramatically in current years from desertification and pollution from its overpopulated urban centers, the government and environmental groups are making a substantial effort to address underlying social issues and environmental concerns that can be improved with regional cooperation. International education regarding these issues will help to alleviate the strains on Cairo’s natural resources as well as create a model for a more environmentally sustainable society.
The climate ancient Egypt is very hot and dry making it very hard for people to get water and grow their crops. So many people went to go live near the Nile River so they can get water and grow their crops The Nile River flows north into the Mediterranean Sea.
The land of Egypt produced four major physical regions: Nile Valley, Nile Delta, Western desert and Eastern Desert. Egyptian civilization started along the last miles of the river’s bank and extended north to the Mediterranean Sea. Every year, torrential rains caused the rivers to over flow causing a terrible flood from the Nile into their land. The cycle of flood and sun made Egypt one of the productive and stable cultures in the ancient world
The social norms of Ancient Egypt were exceptionally atypical from those of other nations at the time. In ancient Egypt, incest, female legal authority, female education, divorce, and promiscuity were all socially acceptable. Despite that, the social hierarchy was very similar to those of other societies at the time.
Ancient Egypt is very well-known as a barren desert in the geography of Africa, yet it is also acclaimed as the “breadbasket of the world.” This grandiose name is often associated with the river Nile, which is strongly believed as one of the most prominent factors for the vivacity of ancient Egypt. Moreover, many historians confidently conclude that the river Nile perhaps is responsible for not only breathing life into this once uninhabitable piece of land, but also for manipulating the behaviour and culture of its people. Therefore, it can be surmised that the river Nile remains one of the most significant and influential factors in the agriculture, trade, and culture of ancient Egypt.
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 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
Egyptian culture and the American culture are similar in their beliefs and industrialism, style and beauty. Egyptians and Americans both used and cultivated the natural raw materials around them, example Egyptian use silk for clothing and Americans use cottons and many different textual from the lands. Each culture thrived off the land and religion is a big part of life.
The longest river in the world still to this day stretching 4,160 miles, the Nile, was the first river civilizations lived off of a major water source. The one thing that surprises everyone about this river is that it flows north not south. First, the agriculture was brought to the two civilizations on the Nile (Egypt and Nubia) by the Sudanic cultivators and herders. Egyptians and Nubians gathered all of the necessary materials for farming from Mesopotamians. They depended on the flood season deeply because of the food and ri...
In Egypt, almost 68 percent of the landmass is covered with sand. This vast area of space goes on for many acres. The Nile river is a resource that many nomads and farmers rely on in order to survive. The first major migration project to places in 3100 BC created under the rule of Kingman. In ancient Egypt dams and canals were used to divert flood waters of the Nile River. However problems regarding the unbalanced flow of the Nile was being recognized. “During low flows, the land did not receive water and no crops were able to grow”. (Document 1) Change was needed to be done in order to prevent dikes from being washed away and villages from being destroyed. In order to terminate the situation that they were facing, the Egyptians used the irrigation system. This system was of great significance to the early
The word “Nile”, originally hieroglyphs and translated to English, means “river”. The Nile River is the longest river in the world. It has two main parts, the White Nile ( Upper Egypt ) in Sudan and the Blue Nile ( Lower Egypt ) in the Ethiopian Highlands. The Nile River is 4,160 miles (6694.871 kilometers) long and meets with the Mediterranean Sea. In Egypt alone, the Nile River is 660 miles (1062.17 kilometers ) long, moving through Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. About ninety-six percent of Egypt is blazing hot desert called “ Red Land ” and the remaining four percent is rich, fertile soil called “ Black Land ” because of annual floods that occur over the local farmers’ soil.
Egypt is one of the oldest civilizations in the world that appeared before writing and chronicling history. It was settled by primitive peoples from ancient times back to the Late Stone Age (110 thousand years BC). Egypt is also famous for archeology and art, most notably the pyramids.
United Nations Environment Programme. Environment, Sustainable Development and the Nile River Basin. N.p.: United Nations Environment Programme, n.d. Case Study 1. United Nations Environmental Programme. Web. 3 May 2014.
Egypt had many intricate structures that have made history, but the most important of the designs is their social structure. The society of Egypt was structured as a pyramid with the pharaoh at the top. The elite part of society contains the nobles, priests, viziers, and government officials. Next, soldiers and military are used for protection and to keep order throughout the kingdom. The scribes record and keep records about the kingdom. Merchants, artisans, and farmers are a large section of the pyramid. They supply the kingdom with food, money, and jobs. Last, slaves and servants are their to help and support the people above them. Each part of society has their role to benefit the kingdom as a whole. The pharaoh is at the top of the pyramid and must control all of society.
Egyptians began to settle along the banks of the Nile River, Starting as far north as to the city of Alexandria all the way down south to Aswan. They developed into a well-structured society as Far East to the Red Sea and west to Dakhia, Oasis among many (Figure 1.). The Nile River reached far lending a hand in creating a well-known civilization that consisted of building pyramids and producing crops for their pharaoh. Evolving from hunters and gatherers into agriculturalists throughout history, Egypt has claimed to be one of the earliest and most spectacular civilizations of ancient times. One could wonder if, what led to the collapse of this great society resulted from the Egyptians interaction with the environment by overusing natural resources, seasonal flooding of the Nile River can play a role, or even worse feuding wars of rulers that see value in the great Egypt soil that are continuing well into the present day?
Ancient Egypt was a civilization of rich culture, advanced techniques, and societal prosperity. Depending heavily on the Nile River for its resources, Egypt often found itself with an abundance of crops. This surplus was much to thank for the peace among Egypt’s society, without the lack of material, there was no need for disputing among themselves or other civilizations. Egypt was well organized, and utilized a monarchical government system that was influenced by their religious ideals and beliefs, as well as implementing roles for women in the society. The success of Ancient Egypt took hold for many years, and grew to become a model for the surrounding societies and groups.