The civilization of ancient Egypt was indebted to the Nile River and its dependable seasonable flooding. The river’s predictability and the fertile soils it provided allowed the Egyptians to build an empire on the basis of great agricultural wealth. Egyptians are credited as being one of the first groups to practice agriculture on a large scale. This was possible because of the ingenuity of the Egyptians as they developed basin irrigation. Their farming practices allowed them to grow staple food crops, especially grains such as wheat and barley and industrial crops, such as flax and papyrus.
The civilization of ancient Egypt developed in the arid climate of northern Africa. This region has several key geographical features; the Arabian and Libyan deserts and the Nile River which flows from Lake Victoria north into the Mediterranean Sea. Because of this area received almost no rainfall, the Nile River was key to the development of the Egyptian civilization. The river provided a fertile oasis in the middle of great deserts which allowed the Egyptians to develop into a powerful state based in agricultural wealth. Egypt’s dependence was characteristic of several ancient races, including the Mesopotamia and Indus civilizations who relied on the Tigris/Euphrates and Indus rivers respectively.
Farming Systems
The Nile and Field Planting
The Nile River was measured as being 4175 miles long in 2006 and is considered to be the longest river in the world. The main source of its water comes from Lake Victoria. From there the river flows northward, eventually emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. While the actual origin of the river is hard to determine with certainty, it is thought to be located in the...
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