The country of Egypt is located in the north eastern region of Africa. It is bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea. In the south there is a mountain range which receives snow. The climate of Egypt is dry and arid because the Sahara Desert crosses it. One of the major geographical features of this area is the Nile River, which runs northward toward the Mediterranean Sea.
One of the most important features of the Nile is that it makes a 320 km (200 miles) bend in the Sahara Desert. This feature has long puzzled geographers because most rivers would go straight to the sea, instead it travels through one of the driest places on Earth bringing life-giving water. Recently, scientists have found evidence that supports the bend was caused by tectonic activity somewhere between 10,000 and a million years ago.
The Nile is fed by two rivers, the Blue Nile and the White Nile, which is the reason for it not drying during the dry seasons. At one time there were about six such tributaries feeding it, however these eventually dried out due to slow water with silt accumulation.
Every year the Nile flooded because the snow in the mountains melted and brought nutrients in the form of silt. This silt was left once the river floods receded, leaving moist fertile soil for plants to grow. The ancient Egyptians used the floods for horticultural and domestic use.
The Egyptians grew many crops including: wheat, barley, legumes, lettuce, onions, emmer, leeks, dill, grapes, melons and gourds. They also grew trees like christ’s thorn, date palm and eucalyptus. Some of the other plants which they used were flowers, such as lily and lotus, tamarisk, papyrus, acacia, poinciana and jacaranda. They used oils from the castor plant and saffron. Contrary to popular belief, olives were not grown in Egypt.
Ancient Egyptians were not the only animals to make use of the Nile. There were many types of fish and mollusks, however the upper class would not eat fish from the Nile because the fish were considered unclean. Ancient Egyptians worshiped the crocodile which lived in the Nile. There were also many birds and animals such as the camel, snakes, scorpions, rabbits and other small rodents, hippopotamus, cattle, antelopes and gazelles, hyenas and, of course, cats and dogs. Pigs were another animal considered unclean, in fact, if a person accidentally touched a pig they would immediately bathe in the river with their clothes on. The only people who could touch a pig were the pig farmers, who were considered the lowest rank.
One of the most important features of the Nile is that it makes a 320 km (200 miles) bend in the Sahara Desert. This feature has long puzzled geographers because most rivers would go straight to the sea, instead it travels through one of the driest places on Earth bringing life-giving water. Recently, scientists have found evidence that supports the bend was caused by tectonic activity somewhere between 10,000 and a million years ago.
The Nile is fed by two rivers, the Blue Nile and the White Nile, which is the reason for it not drying during the dry seasons. At one time there were about six such tributaries feeding it, however these eventually dried out due to slow water with silt accumulation.
Every year the Nile flooded because the snow in the mountains melted and brought nutrients in the form of silt. This silt was left once the river floods receded, leaving moist fertile soil for plants to grow. The ancient Egyptians used the floods for horticultural and domestic use.
The Egyptians grew many crops including: wheat, barley, legumes, lettuce, onions, emmer, leeks, dill, grapes, melons and gourds. They also grew trees like christ’s thorn, date palm and eucalyptus. Some of the other plants which they used were flowers, such as lily and lotus, tamarisk, papyrus, acacia, poinciana and jacaranda. They used oils from the castor plant and saffron. Contrary to popular belief, olives were not grown in Egypt.
Ancient Egyptians were not the only animals to make use of the Nile. There were many types of fish and mollusks, however the upper class would not eat fish from the Nile because the fish were considered unclean. Ancient Egyptians worshiped the crocodile which lived in the Nile. There were also many birds and animals such as the camel, snakes, scorpions, rabbits and other small rodents, hippopotamus, cattle, antelopes and gazelles, hyenas and, of course, cats and dogs. Pigs were another animal considered unclean, in fact, if a person accidentally touched a pig they would immediately bathe in the river with their clothes on. The only people who could touch a pig were the pig farmers, who were considered the lowest rank.
the Nile supplied a constant influx of fish which were cultivated year around. In addition to fish, water fowl and cattle were also kept by the Egyptians. Flocks of geese were raised from the earliest times and supplied eggs, meat and fat. However, the domestic fowl didn't make its appearance until Ramesside times, and then in only very isolated places. The Egyptian farmers, in their early experimental phase, also tried to domesticate other animals such as hyenas, gazelles and cranes but gave up after the Old Kingdom. Cattle were also part of the staple diet of the Egyptians, suggesting that grazing land was available for the Egyptians during the times when the Nile receded. However, during the inundation, cattle were brought to the higher levels of the flood plain area and were often fed the grains harvested from the previous year.
The Egyptian diet was by no means limited to tree crops and vegetables, nor was it limited to an animal or fish diet. The Egyptians cultivated barley, emmer wheat, beans, chickpeas, flax, and other types of vegetables. In addition, the cultivation of grains was not entirely for consumption. One of the most prized products of the Nile and of Egyptian agriculture was oil. Oil was customarily used as a payment to workmen employed by the state, and depending on the type, was highly prized. The most common oil (kiki) was obtained from the castor oil plant. Sesame oil from the New Kingdom was also cultivated and was highly prized during the later Hellenistic Period.
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