The Nile is famous as the longest river in the world. The Nile floods the lands in Egypt, leaving behind black sediment. That's why the ancient Egyptians named the river Ar, meaning black.
Egypt is the gift of the Nile
The famous Greek historian Herodotus summarized the importance of the river to the Egyptians by saying "Egypt is the gift of the Nile".
Nile importance in Ancient Egypt
The Nile helped the ancient Egyptians in various ways. The river has the ability to produce extremely fertile soil. The Egyptians called their country Kemet, which means "black earth", a reference to the dark, fertile soil that remained after the Nile flood had receded. . It was extremely beneficial for a country which consisted of dry desert land and low rainfall throughout the year.
Ancient Egyptian Nile boats and trade
Boats were built and used for navigation. The Nile was the Egyptians also protected against external attacks. Enemies must first cross the river, which was a very difficult and complex. The river has also contributed to the promotion of trade. The Nile was the quickest way and easiest way to get from place to place.
Ancient Egypt nile flooding
Ancient Egyptian god Hapi and Nile River Myths
To the Egyptians, the reasons for the flooding of the Nile and the origins remained a mystery, but they were aware of their dependence on the river. They deified as Hapi giving it the form of a well-fed man blue beard.
Hapi was the god of the Nile. Honor a god was very important, so when a flood came, the Egyptians thank Hapi for bringing the fertility of the land.
There are many myths associated with the Nile, including that the Nile is the gift of the gods, and that its flood season begins with the appearance of the brightest star; when it overflows, it brings prosperity and fertility; the gods control the river.
The
deity Khnum is the lord of the water who brings prosperity and creates
humans from the mud of the Nile River flood; the deity Habi controls the
flood of the Nile because he is both genders and therefore very
fertile; parts of the body of the severed god Osiris is in the Nile; and
that the Nile’s flood and its decline were linked to the death and
resurrection of Osiris and the myth of worshiping the Nile animals .
Nile River crocodile
They stay with it for at least two years to reach maturity. The Nile basin is huge, more than 3 million square kilometers with an average annual rainfall of about 600 mm at the moment. Much of the Nile water transported from Ethiopia and is due to the summer monsoon. The rest comes from as far south as Rwanda.
Ancient Egypt Nile delta
From north to south the delta is approximately 160 km in length. The Delta begins slightly down-river from Cairo. People have lived in the Nile Delta region for thousands of years, and it has been intensively farmed for at least the last five thousand years.
In July 2019 a small Greek temple, ancient granite columns, treasure-carrying ships, and bronze coins from the reign of Ptolemy II, dating back to the third and fourth centuries BC, were found at the sunken city of Heracleion, colloquially known as Egypt's Atlantis.
The investigations were conducted by Egyptian and European divers led by the underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio. They also uncovered a devastated historic temple underwater off Egypt's north coast