ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

1. ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS The Nile: River of Life

2. While civilization flourished in the valleys of the Tigris-Euphrates and Indus Rivers, another ancient Near Eastern river—the Nile—provided the setting for advanced culture in the land known then and today as Egypt Since Egypt was desert land similar to Mesopotamia, the Nile River was important to the ancient Egyptians One of the longest rivers in the world, the Nile stretches 4000 miles beginning at a source in central Africa and twisting its way north to Egypt Its final 750 miles cover the region of ancient Egypt from the river’s First Cataract, or waterfall, to the mouth of the great waterway Here the river fans out into an extensive delta, or low-lying region From there, the Nile’s silt-rich waters pour into the Mediterranean Sea

3. The Nile was so important to the ancient Egyptians, they had two words for travel: one, khed, meant “to go downstream;” the second, khent, meant “to go upstream.” The lands of ancient Egypt were divided into two regions—Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. They were named after their locations along the Nile’s course. Since the Nile runs from south to north, Upper Egypt lay in the southern portion of the land, and Lower Egypt was located in the north. Without the Nile, the ancient civilization of Egypt would not have been possible. This arid land receives almost no annual rainfall. As the Egyptians saw things, they were a people blessed by the gods. Each year—from September to October—the Nile “miraculously” flooded its banks, delivering a rich layer of fertile mud to the farming fields. This silt-laden water allowed Egyptian farmers to produce two harvests annually. Such bounty provided the Egyptians with regular grain surpluses, giving them an important trade item and allowing them to develop a spectacular civilization.

4. Given its importance in providing annual crops, it should not be surprising that the Egyptians worshiped the Nile as the source of life. The Nile was important to the Egyptians for other reasons. Since the lands in every direction from the Nile were burning deserts, the Egyptians were often safe from outside invasion. Also, the Nile was a trade river. Wooden boats, many constructed from cedar planks from the distant, neighboring country of Lebanon, plied up and down the Nile and out into the Mediterranean. These traders brought further prosperity to the people of ancient Egypt. The world the Egyptians created—a civilization which was to last for nearly 3000 years—proved one of the greatest in the history of humankind.