Which nile river people was the most significant

Instead of growing in size through the soil deposits, the delta is now shrinking due to erosion along the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, routine annual flooding no longer occurs along parts of the Nile. These floods were necessary to flush and clean the water of human and agricultural waste.

As a result, the water is becoming more polluted. The Nile River also continues to be an important trade route, connecting Africa with markets in Europe and beyond. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.

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Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. The Nile was such a focal point to the ancient Egyptians that their calendar began the year with the first month of the flooding. The Egyptian religion even venerated a deity of flooding and fertility, Hapy , who was depicted as a chubby man with blue or green skin.

To get the most out of the Nile's waters, ancient Egyptian farmers developed a system called basin irrigation. They constructed networks of earthen banks to form basins, and dug channels to direct floodwater water into the basins, where it would sit for a month until the soil was saturated and ready for planting.

To predict whether they faced dangerous floods or low waters that could result in a poor harvest, the ancient Egyptians built nilometers —stone columns with markings that would indicate the water level. In addition to nurturing agriculture, the Nile provided ancient Egyptians with a vital transportation route. As a result, they became skilled boat and ship builders who created both large wooden craft with sails and oars , capable of traveling longer distances, and smaller skiffs made of papyrus reeds attached to wooden frames.

Before the river enters the Mediterranean Sea, it divides into four smaller tributaries in the delta region. T he northern region of Egypt is bounded by two deserts, the mountainous Eastern, or Arabian, Desert and the sandy Western, or Libyan, Desert. Nomadic tribes continue to roam these desert regions as they have done for centuries, stopping at oases to replenish their water supplies.

A round B. T he flooding of the Nile rendered the narrow strip of land on either side of the river extremely fertile. Intensive agriculture was practised by the majority of the peasant population. As the flood waters receded, sowing and ploughing began, using primitive wooden ploughs.

S ince rainfall is almost non-existent in Egypt, the floods provided the only source of moisture needed to sustain crops. Irrigation canals were used to control the water, particularly during dry spells. The principal crops cultivated during the Pharaonic era were barley, emmer a coarse wheat , lentils, beans, cucumbers, leeks, onions, dates, figs and grapes.

The abundance of flowers provided nectar for the bees to produce honey, which the Egyptians processed. Flax was grown for making linen, and papyrus was harvested to be converted into paper, ropes, mats, sandals and light skiffs.