Nile Impact On Egypt

No civilization would be able to grow without help from natural features. The Nile, the Indus, and the Euphrates are just rivers, yet they have an unparalleled effect on the surrounding civilizations. By providing water for countless people and animals, they are the lifeblood of lands that lack other water sources or ways to travel. Beyond that, they provide the resources needed to maintain a thriving economy and a rich culture. For example, the Ancient Egyptians had no choice but to incorporate the Nile into their culture because it was their only meaningful water source, and the main thing keeping them alive. The Egyptians' total dependence on the Nile allowed it to affect every part of Egypt all throughout the country's growth. The Nile

From once-in-a-lifetime ceremonies to everyday life, the Nile always played a role. As shown in the chart in Document B, each season had specific activities done in them each year. This reveals how the Nile determined the seasons, which therefore decided how people could go about their daily life. The agricultural schedule was built around the Nile's seasons, and most of the Egyptians' lives revolved around farming and all it did for them. Hence, almost the entire Egyptian culture was built around the Nile and its operation. Moreover, the tomb painting in Document E depicts all aspects of Egyptian life being surrounded by the blue waters of the Nile. This demonstrates how much the Egyptians revered the Nile, to a point that they included it in something as holy as a tomb. Thus, even they knew that all parts of Egyptian life connected to the Nile, no matter how rich, poor, young, or old the person was. This idea is furthered in the belief that "heaven in Ancient Egypt was called the Field of Reeds . . . believed to be located somewhere [along the Nile] in the East" (Document D). Religion was critical to Egyptian life; it was even a part of their government. By placing their paradise on the banks of the Nile the Egyptians indicate how important the Nile was to them: they included it as a crucial component of their heaven, which they thought was almost more important than their life on Earth. To conclude, because they depended on the Nile so much for survival, they had no choice but to include the Nile as a prominent part of their society and