began to recede till June. Vast amount of silt
coarse wheat), lentils, beans, cucumbers,
deposits from the Nile in the Egyptian flood
leeks, onions, dates, figs and grapes. The
plain made the surrounding land fertile.
abundance of flowers provided nectar for the
Some degree of flood control has been
bees to produce honey. Flax was grown for
practised since early times. River banks
making linen, and papyrus was harvested to
were raised and canals dug to funnel the
be converted into paper, ropes, mats, sandals
water over the land, precautions were taken
and light skiffs.
to prevent over-flooding. The flooding of
The Nile was also a convenient and efficient
the Nile rendered the narrow strip of land on
means of transportation for people and
either side of the river extremely fertile.
goods. Far-reaching trade was carried on
Intensive agriculture was practised by the
along the Nile since ancient times.
majority of the peasant population. As the
The Nile was an important part of ancient
flood waters receded, sowing and ploughing
Egyptian spiritual life. Hapy was the God
began, using primitive wooden ploughs.
of annual floods and both He and Pharaoh
were thought to control the flooding. The
Nile was considered to be a causeway from
life to death and afterlife. The East was
thought of as a place of birth and growth,
and the west was considered the place of
death, as the God ‘Ra’ (The Sun) underwent
birth, death and resurrection each day as he
crossed the sky. Thus, all tombs were built
on west of Nile because Egyptians believed
that in order to enter the afterlife, they had to
be buried on the side that symbolized death.
As the Nile was such an important factor in
In Egypt since rainfall is scarce the floods
Egyptian life, the ancient calendar was even
provided the only source of moisture needed
based on the 3 cycles of the Nile. These
to sustain crops. Irrigation canals were used
seasons, each consisting of four months of
to control the water, particularly during dry
thirty days each, were called Akhet, Peret
spells. The principal crops cultivated during
and
the Pharaonic era were barley, emmer (a
inundation, was the time of the year when
Shemu.
Akhet,
which
means
6
Integrated River Basin Management Society