Geography of Ancient Egypt

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.

Sources

Wendorf, Fred. The Prehistory of the Nile Valley. Academic Press; New York, 1976 (pg. 349-388).

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/96/sirnile.html

http://www.theodora.com/wfb/egypt_geography.html

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