Dbq Essay On Ancient Egypt

The Ancient Egyptians thrived on the Nile river, the river which kept their civilization alive. The Nile is one of the only major rivers in the world to flow from the south to the north. The river begins in two places, the Blue Nile, which begins in the highlands of Ethiopia, and the White Nile, which begins in Lake Victoria, Kenya. Then, these rivers flow into Egypt, where its land floods from the Nile. Therefore, the Egyptian land next to the Nile was known as the Black Land, the life. On the other hand, the desert just beyond was known as the Red land, the danger. The Nile was life or death to the Egyptians. For this reason, the Nile deeply shaped the Ancient Egyptian civilization through population distribution, economy, and religion.

For example, as seen in document B, through lower, upper, and middle Egypt, cities were placed near the Nile river and delta. This was because people needed the water to drink, plant crops, and bathe to survive in the desert. Therefore, this shows that the Nile influenced where the settlements of Ancient Egypt were placed. Additionally, most cities were placed where the land was the most fertile, especially near the delta. Since farmers needed water to grow their crops, and the crops were needed for a prosperous city, the cities were placed near the fertile Black Land which greatly appeared in the Nile delta. This is why many cities were placed near the Nile delta, as seen in document B. The Egyptians were also protected through the West and East deserts, protecting the east and west, the Mediterranean sea, protecting the North, and the cataracts or rapids along the river, protecting the south, all shown in document B. These natural obstacles are hard to cross if an invader were to attack, leaving Egypt away from harm. Finally, the river is a “superhighway” for the Egyptians. Every city in ancient Egypt is placed near the river which allowed trade among the cities. As a result, Egypt can grow its economy and cities for a stronger kingdom. These reasons show that the settlements of the ancient civilization of Egypt greatly depend on the Nile river as their water

As seen in document D, ships carry goods across the Nile. In this picture, the ships carry a stone obelisk and a coffin. This trade and transportation among the city allow craftsmen to trade their goods outside of their local city. Therefore, it leads to a better Egyptian economy. Additionally, the Nile is used for transportation. Also in document B, the caption shows that the boats on the river use the flow of the Nile to transport goods, like the coffin. Although, sometimes they need to go against the south-to-north flow so they use sails or rowers to transport the goods. Another example of the Ancient Egyptian economy is in document C. This document shows the Ancient Egyptian calendar and how farmers and the government had to work with the Nile. As shown, the calendar is based on the cycles of the Nile, instead of the sun or moon. During the planting and harvest season, farmers are tending their crops so the government needs to base their plans to match the Nile. As for that, during the flood season, farmers work their public labor tax. The calendar brings order to the government and city allowing for a good economy and prosperous cities in the desert. Together, the farming and transportation system of Ancient Egypt was all based on the