The Nile River was an important factor in the success of ancient Egypt. Without the Nile River, it could never have existed as we know it or have produced the wonders of its civilization that it is known for today. In the book, Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt, readers are taken on a journey down the Nile, and see the home the Great Pyramids of Gaza, the Giant Sphinx, and other monuments of this ancient civilization (Baines, 2000).
The land of Egypt is surrounded by tons of sand, which isn’t helpful for agriculture, but the ancient Egyptians managed to flourish by taking the waters of the Nile and building an unrivaled empire (Baines, 2000). By harnessing the power of the Nile River, and learning the consistency of the rise and fall of its water levels, they built their empire from what could have been barren wasteland; and with the use of the water, and an irrigation system, along with the sands, and thousands of slaves, the ancient Egyptians built the huge monuments of sand that still stand as proof of their ingenuity (Baines, 2000).
The rise and fall of the Nile waters led the ancient Egyptians to view cycles of birth, death and re-birth. This influenced the way they worshiped, developing one of the first civilizations to believe in an afterlife. Because of this belief they had elaborate rituals when someone died. They prepared their dead according to rituals and built elaborate monuments to entomb their rulers and royal family, and left items for the deceased to use on their journey to the afterlife. Even so, the Nile River did not have an especially significant role in ancient Egypt’s religious life; perhaps it was viewed as too consistent and led them to take their world for granted (Baines, 2007). They did have a God of the Nile, ‘Hapy’, who was the bringer of water and fertility (Baines, 2007). Another God associated with the Nile was Osiris, who was a king of Egypt, killed on the river bank by his brother, chopped into pieces and cast into the river (Baines, 2007). Osiris became the god of the afterlife, an important deity in Egyptian life. Though the ancient Egyptians did not dedicate a lot of deities or time to the worship of the Nile, it is responsible for the many religious artifacts this great society left behind, from the Great Pyramids - built with its waters, and mummies that were preserved because of its influence on their religion.
The Nile River was also responsible for papyrus, or the form of paper, used to record Egyptian writing. Due to the success of cultivating the Nile, Egypt became densely populated and developed a form of writing, hieroglyphics and used papyrus made from the reeds growing on the side of the Nile to make paper to write their history on. The river provided food in the form of fish, and provided the water for agriculture. The Nile was also an important means of transportation for the ancient Egyptians and enabled trade and communication (Hoyt, 2008). Another contribution of the Nile was the ancient Egyptian calendar. They developed a 365-day calendar, which delineated three seasons of four months each, based on the consistency of the rise and the fall of the river Nile (Baines, 2000).
Eventually, the civilization of ancient Egypt collapsed, but because of the Nile, much is known about life in this ancient empire. Though ancient Egypt society has disappeared, the waters of the Nile River continue to flow and bring prosperity to those who harness its power.
The land of Egypt is surrounded by tons of sand, which isn’t helpful for agriculture, but the ancient Egyptians managed to flourish by taking the waters of the Nile and building an unrivaled empire (Baines, 2000). By harnessing the power of the Nile River, and learning the consistency of the rise and fall of its water levels, they built their empire from what could have been barren wasteland; and with the use of the water, and an irrigation system, along with the sands, and thousands of slaves, the ancient Egyptians built the huge monuments of sand that still stand as proof of their ingenuity (Baines, 2000).
The rise and fall of the Nile waters led the ancient Egyptians to view cycles of birth, death and re-birth. This influenced the way they worshiped, developing one of the first civilizations to believe in an afterlife. Because of this belief they had elaborate rituals when someone died. They prepared their dead according to rituals and built elaborate monuments to entomb their rulers and royal family, and left items for the deceased to use on their journey to the afterlife. Even so, the Nile River did not have an especially significant role in ancient Egypt’s religious life; perhaps it was viewed as too consistent and led them to take their world for granted (Baines, 2007). They did have a God of the Nile, ‘Hapy’, who was the bringer of water and fertility (Baines, 2007). Another God associated with the Nile was Osiris, who was a king of Egypt, killed on the river bank by his brother, chopped into pieces and cast into the river (Baines, 2007). Osiris became the god of the afterlife, an important deity in Egyptian life. Though the ancient Egyptians did not dedicate a lot of deities or time to the worship of the Nile, it is responsible for the many religious artifacts this great society left behind, from the Great Pyramids - built with its waters, and mummies that were preserved because of its influence on their religion.
The Nile River was also responsible for papyrus, or the form of paper, used to record Egyptian writing. Due to the success of cultivating the Nile, Egypt became densely populated and developed a form of writing, hieroglyphics and used papyrus made from the reeds growing on the side of the Nile to make paper to write their history on. The river provided food in the form of fish, and provided the water for agriculture. The Nile was also an important means of transportation for the ancient Egyptians and enabled trade and communication (Hoyt, 2008). Another contribution of the Nile was the ancient Egyptian calendar. They developed a 365-day calendar, which delineated three seasons of four months each, based on the consistency of the rise and the fall of the river Nile (Baines, 2000).
Eventually, the civilization of ancient Egypt collapsed, but because of the Nile, much is known about life in this ancient empire. Though ancient Egypt society has disappeared, the waters of the Nile River continue to flow and bring prosperity to those who harness its power.