Ancient Egypt

Introduction:

Now, you may just think that Egyptian civilization is just a place where the pyramids were built and the mummies hang out, but, it's much more than that. You see, Ancient Egypt was very successful and prosperous civilization that invented many innovative ways to preserve the dead as well as create a basis for our now quite advanced medicine. With the help of a time machine, I was able to travel back in time to see how it was like living in certain parts of Egypt back in ancient times where there were few technological advances and little knowledge of how the nature of certain things worked.

Nile River:

            The Nile River was a very important aspect of survival that the ancient Egyptians relied heavily on. It was quite significantly to the growth of the Egyptians as the Nile flooded annually sometime from June to September. (13) At first they found it very hard to predict when the next flood would come so eventually they invented the clock and the 365-day calendar that we use today so that it would be easier to prepare for such an event. (2) The reason why the floods are beneficial is because after the flood subsides, all of the soil that had been in contact with the water becomes fertile, making it ideal for planting crops. (11) Originally controlling the floods was quite difficult as it was hard to direct a large amount of water to a certain area, but eventually the Egyptians created irrigation systems that would do just that. (11) The items typically grown are wheat, barley, onions, leeks, lettuce, radishes, gourds, melons, peas, and lentils. (11)

Nile Delta:

            Similar to the Nile River, the Nile Delta also experienced floods at around the same time of the year and received the same benefits as the residents at the Nile River get, except the Delta’s geography posed as an obstacle for invaders. (13) During the existence of ancient Egypt, the Nile had 7 branches which led to the Mediterranean Sea, as of today, there is only 2 branches left due to the effects of global warming (water levels rise). (5) The Nile Delta also had 5 tributaries but was also reduced to 2 because the other 3 were filled with silt. (5) The draining of the Nile Delta provided a cultivation area that was twice the size of the entire Nile Valley. (5)

Eastern Desert:

            The main reason why there was people traveling to the Eastern Desert was because of its abundance in minerals. (6) Although there were people that came to the Eastern Desert to exploit its minerals there were no permanent settlements in the area. (6) The most valuable stone found there is known as bekhen-stone, it was a popular stone used by the Egyptians to create statues, sarcophagi, and other small monuments. (6) More valuable minerals and gems were used to decorate tombs. (6) One convenient aspect about the Eastern Desert is that it offered trading routes that linked the Red Sea coast with the towns and cities of the Nile Valley. But, because they have these routes in place, it leaves Egypt open to more attacks from enemies. (6)

Faiyum:

            Faiyum is a lakeside oasis located to the west of the Nile and is mainly an agricultural area. (2) This was the time where the first agricultural communities were developed; the two groups of people that developed a community here was the Neolithic Fayumian and Moerian, which settled there around 5500 to 4000 BCE followed by the Egyptians centuries later. (3)What allowed them to live there so long was the irrigation canals that distributed the water evenly between the groups which fertilizes the crops. (7) The crops that were typically grown is wheat, rice, tomatoes and a large selection of fruit and vegetables. Since the Egyptians believed that there were gods for the nature of everything; the Egyptians most likely thought that the success of their harvest seasons came from a god associated with farming. (1)

Mediterranean Sea:

            The Mediterranean Sea is a stretch of water 2300 miles in length. (9) Near the shore line of the sea, houses many groups of people that rely a lot on the abundance of fish and other wildlife for food and materials. Besides being a great place to find food and materials, it also serves as a route for merchants and travelers to make trades with each other. (9) These civilizations include Egypt, Mesopotamia, Phoenician, Carthaginian, Iberian, Greek, Macedonian, Illyrian, Thracian, Levantine, Gallic, Roman, Albanian, Armenian, Arabic, Berber, Jewish, Slavic and Turkish. Some of these civilizations sail over the seas to enlarge their territory through warfare, although, the Egyptians had no real desire to do such a thing as they felt quite comfortable and protected by the Delta that they wouldn’t need to expand their territory. (8)

Final Thoughts:

One of the reasons why Ancient Egyptians were so prosperous was because of their agricultural success; they had a reliable source of food and materials grown from crops. And this was mainly due to the fact that the Nile River had annual floods that would fertilize all of the soil near the Nile. This translated to a very healthy agricultural system as well as creates a successful economy. Since the annual harvests yielded so much food and materials, they are able to send the excess resources like papyrus and lentils to port centers in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Egyptian trade could link up with overseas trade. And for these reasons, I believe that the Nile best characterizes the civilization.