ANCIENT EGYPT

Ancient Egypt civilization was known to be a wealthy one and was in existence for about 30 centuries from 3150 BC to 30 BC. Their main source of water was the Nile River which was located in northeast Africa. The river provided the people of Egypt with not only water but also soil, food, and transportation. The Nile River was also the main source of how Ancient Egypt became a wealthy civilization. Great Egyptian cities were established along the Nile because the Egyptian people were innovative and learned to build irrigation systems. The irrigation systems included canals and reservoirs so they could use the water from the Nile to grow crops that were profitable. Each year the Nile River flooded between the months of June to September. This was known as ‘Akhet’ - the inundation: The Flooding Season. During this time there was no farming, but instead, the canals gathered the excess floodwater to fill reservoirs. Later, during the farming season, the collected water from the reservoirs would be sent back into the canals so farmers could water their fields and crops. The farmers did this by using a device called a shaduf to collect water from the canal and pore onto the land. It was a large pole balanced on a beam, one end had a rope and bucket the other end had a counterweight. 

 

The Nile River was an excellent area to farm and grow crops and food. The North Delta region of the river was known as a very fertile area. Most of the food was grown here that fed all of Egypt. During a good growing season, there would be enough food to feed everyone in Egypt, keep inventory for leaner times, and sell food to other countries. The Nile River flooded every year for about 3 months starting in June. The floods brought rich soil and silt that fertilized the land. Then from October to February, the growing season started. This season was known as ‘Peret’. The farmers would plough the land to turn up the nutrient-rich soil and then plant seeds in the rows they created. Very little ploughing was needed because the floods deposited the nutrients on top of the soil.

 

Ancient Egyptians were known to be vegetarians. They grew many foods but their main staples were corn, wheat, barley, flax, onions, leeks, cabbages, cucumbers, beans, lettuce, figs, melons, pomegranates, and vine plants. They also grew fruit on trees in gardens including olive trees. Olive trees were very important as they ate the olives but also used olive oil in cooking and to light their lamps at night. The harvest season was known as ‘shemu’ which occurred from March to May. The Ancient Egyptians liked wheat and barley as they made bread from the wheat and beer from the barley. Safe drinking water wasn’t easy to find, but the brewing process to make beer made it safe for people to drink. Thanks to the flooding season and the nutrient-rich soil, the Ancient Egyptians enjoyed the food and the riches it brought them from trading.