The agriculture and geographic location contributed to the achievement of Ancient Egypt Economy. The Nile River was conveniently located right next to Egypt, making the soil fertile and allowed the Egyptians to create an abundance of food. The economic surplus in Egypt was strictly controlled and protected, by its leaders and citizens. Although, when mother nature would take over the economic surplus went away, which lead to the civilization coming to an end. The success of Egypt’s economy came from the abundance of agriculture, the strict rules on surplus and from the citizens all working together to create the surplus.
How is Surplus Created and Sustained?
The land the farmers used was by the river, so they were able to grow crops quickly
…show more content…
With having a controlled economy, they were able to control the surplus easily. In Ancient Egypt the Pharaoh was the absolute monarch, meaning they had control over the land and resources. The king would come next, but was not in charge of the economic surplus, he was instead in charge of the military. The king had a second in command who was the Vizier, he was in charge of land surveys, building projects and the treasury. The Vizier would monitor the land, they would not tell the farmers what to grow, they just assessed the crops and collected produce as a tax. Whatever the Vizier was told to do he would do. The Nomarchs in the 42 regions in Egypt would make sure the Vizier was doing his job and doing it well (Government and Economy, 2015). The economic surplus such as grain, produce and money that they collected was stored in state warehouses and local warehouses. The items that were collected were then used for a money barter system and used to pay employees as well. The surplus paid back the unskilled laborers who built pyramids, canals and did large projects for the government. The surplus was easily controlled, because the laborers did not get paid often, they just did work when work was needed. By not having to pay them all the time this kept the surplus easily maintained and a large sum was always available. Egypt did not have coin money, they used grain and other surplus to pay for items or would even …show more content…
Most of the population were farmers, so the surplus negatively and positively affected them. Negatively, they had to give away a lot of their agriculture to the government to pay for taxes (Government and Economy, 2015). On the other hand, they were affected positively, because they did sustain a great amount of agriculture to sell even after some of it was taken away. To keep the agriculture booming they had to move thirty cubic meters of soil in 10 days every year. This kept the agricultural system working and the soil fertile. The citizens were not able to protect the surplus, but by having it protected in facilities they did not have to worry to much. The Egyptians would have been negatively affected if it was to be stolen. They worked so hard to produce the agriculture, tools and resources. The people who had to be paid would have been also negatively affected, because the government would have nothing to pay them with (Dollinger, n.d). The citizens did have to worry about where there surplus was going and who it was going to, because they worked so hard to produce it
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.
First of all, imperialism was not something the Egyptians wanted. They witnessed the decline of the Ottoman Empire, and that acted as a wakeup call. They can either keep up with the modernization of the world around them, or be overwhelmed and lost among it (Modern World History, 354). They decided to make new reforms as an attempt towards modernization. One of these attempts was the Suez Canal. It was a waterway that connected the Nile River, Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea. The labor costed over 100 million dollars, and it opened in 1869 (Rosenberg). The Suez Canal, along with other reforms, put Egypt in a rough economic state. The British wanted control over the canal because it was the main route to India and its other colonies. Because of the huge debt, Egypt was forced to hand the canal over to Britain. Later, in 1882, Britain gained control to Egypt itself (Modern World History, 355). Thus, Egypt was under new rule and became one of Britain’s many colonies. To sum up, Egypt created many reforms ...
Now, let’s reflect on all the ways of how the Nile shaped Egypt. There was a big variety of different ways, but if that is so, then wouldn’t everything be out of control? Wouldn’t there be no law? Of course not, Egypt is famous for its well-organized ancient government system! It typically consisted of a powerful pharaoh and a hierarchy of advisors, officials, and priests who were all responsible for dealing with the matters and issues of the Egyptian civilization. And guess what, the Nile assisted them as well. The government would organize the agriculture and cultivation of plants and crops that grew along the coast of the Nile. (Document D) Documents A and C give us clues that the pharaoh and his advisors would use the Nile for transportation in order to assist all those in need or to attend ceremonies. The Nile and the government went hand-in-hand, creating a dominant and successful
In document B, the chart and document C, the illustration, people had seasons based on the Nile and farming. In document B it states, “ Crops in the lower Nile harvested and sent to market.” So therefore, without the Nile crops wouldn't grow. Also, people used the Nile for transportation. They had a flood season, a growing season, and a harvest season. If the Nile flooded more than 30 feet, it would flood the villages and if it flooded under 25 feet then it wouldn't be enough water. They transported food, tombs, and obelisks on large barges. Not only did the Nile shape Ancient Egypt through economics but also spiritual life.
Although the people living in Egypt had houses, pets, crops, and jewelry nothing was theirs, the government or the pharaoh owned everything. I think that it seems unfair to the people that they couldn’t even own one measly thing. Being the pharaoh and a descendant of the god the pharaoh owned everything and practically owned all of ancient Egypt. Pharaoh...
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.
Because of the fertile nature of the Nile valley farmers were able to produce a large surplus to fit the needs of the pharaoh, his court, his officials, the priest and all the other people of the elite or rather higher up in power.
The pharaoh was the supreme ruler of Egypt. The people believed the pharaoh was a god among men. He had a divine contract among the god to which he would build monuments to them, and in return the gods would protect Egypt and regulate the flooding of the Nile River (“Egypt, Ancient: Social Organization”, 2004). The contract of the gods came as a great responsibility to the pharaohs. They must keep order of their subjects and the records. Pharaohs proclaimed laws and duties to citizens. Egyptian Social Structure says that the laws were enacted at the discretion of the the pharaoh (2013). Also, pharaohs must control the surplus of food and the Nile River in order to remain the supreme ruler. The pharaohs would proclaim taxes to benefit the entire the kingdom. The surplus of food was maintained by the lower classes, such as the farmers paying grain for their taxes (“Egyptian Social Structure”, 2013). This would help the compensate food for the kingdom in c...
The Nile River is arguably one of the most important water sources in the world and has an extremely rich history dating back thousands of years. Without the Nile, the ancient Egyptian civilization would have never existed. Egypt is basically a whole lot of sand and not much else, except they have the Nile River flowing through it, on it’s way to the Mediterranean sea. The ancient Egyptians lived along the Nile River and it provided them with abundant water, food (fish) and the opportunity to develop agriculture along it’s banks. The Nile River was also used for transportation and trade with other regions because land travel was more difficult than floating on the river. The Ancient Egyptians were at the mercy of the seasonal flooding and droughts but learned to work within the natural system of the River and weather cycles (Carnegie Museum of Natural History). Modern people, however were more interested in conquering nature, rather than living in harmony with it.
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...
Before our modern day obsession with posting to internet walls and worshiping our pets, an ancient civilization nestled on the banks of the Nile River was doing the exact same thing. Except that civilization was over 6,000 years ago. That civilization was Egypt.
...s, 16). It is important to understand the agriculture in the region was dependent upon growing and harvesting plants when the river was
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?
Egypt is known as the gift of the Nile, but why well that is what this paper is all about. For starters Egypt would not be the place it is today without the Nile it would be reduced to a dry uninhabitable desert. The Nile provides water to the entire land and as we all know water is a necessity for all life to exist. Another thing that the Nile supplies is silt, this silt is full of nutrients that makes farming not only possible but actually a lot easier than it is here in the states . The Nile also makes trade with nearby cities and towns possible so supplies are never short.
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