The Importance of the Nile River in Ancient Egypt Essay Example

One of the most interesting ancient civilizations is ancient Egypt. In this essay we’ll be learning  many things about ancient Egypt! The Nile River runs through Egypt. It affected agriculture, innovation, religion, and food in many ways. It brought more food, a new god, an easier way to farm, and lastly new materials to build with. The Nile River was very important to the ancient Egyptians agriculture, their food sources, innovation, and their religion.

The Nile River influenced agriculture in many ways. Ancient Egypt had a hot dry climate, it did not rain often. According to Life on the Nile, the author states that, “there was not much rain fall, farmers depended on the yearly floods of the Nile River to bring fertile soil for growing crops. They Egyptians called this silt, and it made the soil great for growing crops. They had many kinds of crops growing along the Nile. In the text the author explains that some crops that grew were, “. . .  wheat, flax, . . . figs, melons, vegetables, and pomegranates.” The Nile helped the Egyptians water their crops and the soil created by the Nile flooding helped different plants thrive. Without the Nile River, the ancient Egyptians would have never had advanced agriculture. 

The Nile River supplied many different foods for the ancient Egyptians. The Nile River had edible life in it, also the Nile flooded bringing fruits and vegetables. According to Life on the Nile, the author states that, “The Nile provided water for drinking, fish for food, and irrigation for watering crops.” The Nile River was able to provide a large food source for the ancient Egyptians. The Nile helped the Egyptians by irrigating their crops, also the Nile had fish in it as another source of food. According to the text Ancient Egypt, “the seasonal . . . flooding of the Nile resulted in very fertile soil.” The Nile was able to provide fertile soil or silt by flooding yearly. If there was no Nile River the Egyptians would not have had a large and lasting food source. 

The Nile River served as a source of innovation in many ways. For example, the pyramids were built out of mud bricks. Mud was in the Nile River and that mud was used to make the bricks. In the text Life on the Nile River, “. . . the Egyptians created great buildings out of mud and sandstone.” The Nile brought mud to make mud bricks to build the great pyramids. The Egyptians also built canals and irrigation systems along the Nile. According to the text from Ancient Egyptians Technology and Inventions, “ the Egyptians pioneered the use of canals and irrigation channels.” Canals and irrigation channels were built to make Egyptian life easier. The ancient Egyptians civilization would be very different if there were no innovations. 

In many ways the Nile River is very important to ancient Egyptian religion. Hapi was the god of the Nile. It was believed that he was the one who brought the yearly flooding from the Nile. According to the article from Britannica.com, “Hopi in ancient Egyptian religion . . . of the annual flooding.” Hopi brought the ancient Egyptians yearly flooding from the Nile. For this, he was a beloved god. The Nile was believed to be the gateway from life to death. According to the article from South African History online, “the rise and the fall of the Nile waters lead the ancient Egyptians to view the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.” The quote SAHO shows how the Egyptians saw the Nile as the gateway to the afterlife. Without the Nile River, the ancient Egyptian religion would be very different. 

The Nile River was truly a gift from the gods, helping with so many things in ancient Egypt. The Nile was a huge part of ancient Egypt, it affected religion, innovation, agriculture and food. One thing we know for sure is that ancient Egypt would be very different if there was never a Nile River.