Influence of the Nile on Egyptian Civilization - Essay Example

How did the Nile influence Egyptian civilization and thought? Geologists and historians are unanimous in their opinion that the ancient Egyptian civilization is closely related to river Nile. Studies and researches on Egyptian civilization underlines that the saying, ‘Nile is the cradle of Egypt’, is absolutely true. There are clear evidences to prove that the people of Egypt are highly influenced by the river and it helped them to mould their thoughts as well. As in the case of any other nation Egypt also had good relations with a number of neighboring states and sometimes they made certain treaties and contracts with them. The study of their culture, lifestyle, custom, religious beliefs, economic activities, international relations are highly interesting and one can see that all these are related to the river Nile. No doubt, the peculiarities of the Nile River had been instrumental in nourishing and flourishing the ancient Egyptian civilization. As the Egyptian civilization in each and every aspect cannot be separated from the River Nile, Egypt is often regarded as the “Gift of Nile”. The waters of river Nile have been sufficient to meet the agricultural demands of the country. As it is flowing into Egypt from about 6000 feet above the sea level it deposits silt, natural fertilizer, on the banks of the Lower Egypt so that the land becomes agriculturally prosperous (Streich 2009). The geographical features of the nation have got such a great role in molding it as a prosperous one. Adding to that the River Nile has got certain peculiarities like its annual flooding. Unlike all other rivers its flooding is constructive instead of destructive. In turn the annual flooding actually turns to be a blessing to the nation by providing sufficient water for the vast cultivated area of the nation. Thus the geographical features help the nation to be build up strongly and in that the river Nile has a gigantic role to play. The farmers of Egypt got a very good harvest all the time and in turn it helped them to alter their nation into a prosperous one. No doubt, it is sure that agriculture was the backbone of the Egyptian prosperity and based on the agricultural set up Egypt could establish as a rich and famous civilization (Spielvogel 2008, P. 16). Though Egypt had an economy primarily based on the agricultural products, it had commercial activities and trade relations as well. It was accelerated by the discovery of iron ore on the floodplains of river Nile. Locating these areas new cities were formed and gradually became commercially significant places. As the Duiker & Spielvogel (2009, p. 24) point out, in addition to the iron products, it supplied goods like ivory, gold, ebony and slaves which were imported from east and central Africa. The river played a big role as a transporting medium. River Nile was so close to the life of the ancient Egyptians. It can be said that the society’s existence was depended upon the river. They depended on it for agricultural and religious purposes, social events and community projects. As the Egyptians were highly religious people, Nile had a prominent place in their religious life as well. As they were an agricultural people, they depended on the cyclical nature of the Nile floods to replenish the land as fertile. Besides the sun also had a crucial role in their agricultural life as it was necessary for a bountiful harvest. So these two were considered as religious cults and it had a life long influence over the life of the ancient Egyptians. The water of Nile was important for rituals and purification so its religious value was very high (Gad). How did the ancient Egyptians regard neighboring peoples & states? The ancient Egyptian rulers tried their best to sustain good relations with their neighboring states and people. They formed both domestic and foreign policies in order to have healthy relations with neighbors. The 12th dynasty rulers pursued active policies and their international relations with the neighboring countries were influenced by both military and trading considerations. They set trading contacts with Asia Minor, particularly Byblos and Phoenicia. Later on a new people settled in Nubia and the rulers adopted a strong policy in that area to ensure safe passage of valuable commodities like gold, hard stone and exotic items (David 1999, p. 74). Ancient records show that the ancient Egyptians kept a number of slaves for their household activities for many years. Historians have the opinion that many of the pyramids of Egypt were built by these slaves and they underwent very harsh conditions for many years. There was a general rule that all captives including those who are not a part of the military forces would become slaves to the royal power. But all of them were not kept by the king; instead they were sent to the colonies for labor. Ancient documents give the evidence that as many as nineteen could be assigned to an individual as slaves, including both male and female. Some of these foreign slaves were intermingled with the Egyptian slaves and it is to be noted that the authorities gave more concern to the foreign slaves than their native slaves. The legal system also provided certain consideration for the slaves (Dunn 2010). Ancient Egyptians always had an impulse to get politically flourished. But there were certain hindrances in attaining the goal in the form of natural barriers like the rapids, the deserts and the current of the sea which in turn alienated the land from all other nations. In order to overcome the situation they started commercial dealings with their neighbors. Gradually it worked and they could establish peaceful relations with their neighbors. Moreover Egypt could assist other nations to get civilized as well. For instance, Egypt’s most accessible country Nubia which had an unproductive soil attained certain standards of civilization only because of the influence of Egypt. They started trade at the political and natural boundary of their nations that is the island of Elephantine. The Nubians had an exchange of their products of their own as well as the goods they obtained from tribes with the Egyptian products (Erman 1971, p. 498). The Egyptian civilization had a strong influence on its neighboring states. As the inscriptions indicate long before 4000 B.C its influence on the neighbors started. It had far reaching influence on the whole European countries in culture and science as well as in wealth and luxury. The Egyptians could bring their religious belief to their neighbors as well. As Dean Stanley comments, the Egyptians had a pure and beneficent religion, on a true monotheism and belief in a future state. Thus its peaceful and positive relations with the neighbors helped them to develop considerably and the Egyptian culture and civilization came to be exposed to the world (Anderson 2009, p. 45). To conclude, the Egyptian civilization is interrelated with the river Nile in many aspects. Historical evidences are sufficient to prove the role of the river in molding the nation as a prosperous one. Its healthy international relations also helped the nation to be exposed to the world. References Anderson, R.E 2009, The Story of Extinct Civilizations of the East, BiblioBazaar, LLC. David, A.R 1999, Handbook to life in ancient Egypt, Illustrated Edition, Oxford University Press US. Duiker, W.J & Spielvogel, J.J 2009, World History, Volume 1, 6th Revised Edition, Cengage Learning. Dunn, Jimmy 2010, Slaves and Slavery in Ancient Egypt, TourEgypt, viewed 15 June 2010, < http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/slaves.htm> Erman, A 1971, Life in ancient Egypt, Illustrated Edition, Dover Publications. Gad, A. Water Culture In Egypt, Options Mediterraneennes A 83, viewed 15 June 2010, < http://ressources.ciheam.org/om/pdf/a83/00800927.pdf> Spielvogel, J.J 2008, Western Civilization: To 1500, Volume 1, Illustrated 7th Edition, Cengage Learning. Streich, Michael 2009, The Nile River in Ancient Egyptian Civilization, viewed 15 June 2010, < http://egyptian-history.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_nile_river_in_ancient_egyptian_civilization> Read More