In modern times, rivers are generally regarded as a source of entertainment, fishing, or rarely, water. This was hardly the case in Ancient Egypt, where the Nile River was the key to the very existence of the greatest ancient empire of all time. The Nile River is a major northward flowing river in northeastern Africa. It empties into the Mediterranean Sea, in Egypt. It is generally regarded as the longest river in the world. In the times of Ancient Egypt, it was one of the most critical factors to the prosperity of the Ancient Egyptian empire. The two reasons that the Nile River provided that were essential to the growth and development of Ancient Egyptian civilization were the provision of transportation and the abundance of natural resources.
First, one way that the Nile was important to the growth of Ancient Egypt was how it was used as a source of transportation. In the text “Gift of the Nile”, the text states that, “The river was always full of boats carrying visiting friends, traders sailing between riverside towns or into the Mediterranean, or builders moving the great stone blocks and statues from the quarries to new temple sites.” This suggests that the river was used for a wide variety of transportation purposes, including trade, freight, and general passage. This shows that the Nile River was very close in nature to the interstate highway system of modern times. Ultimately, the Nile River was an important transportation system for the Ancient Egyptians. Of course, it was not the only way through which the Egyptians utilized the Nile.
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In addition to transportation, another way that the Ancient Egyptians utilized the Nile River is by taking advantage of the natural resources around it and the capability of turning these into everyday items. In the text piece, “The Gift of the Nile”, it asserts that, “In the marshes [of the Nile] people picked lotus flowers for making perfume, picked vegetables, and caught wild ducks for food. They gather papyrus reeds from which they made boats, paper, sandals, rope, and baskets of all kinds.”This shows that the Ancient Egyptians relied on the Nile for a variety of different reasons, including raw materials for cosmetics, elements of constructing objects, and as a source of food. This vast array of resources allow for the Egyptian empire to grow and expand.This conclusively made the Nile a very important resource for the Egyptians.
In conclusion, the two reasons that were essential to the growth and development of Ancient Egyptian civilization were the means of transportation and the ubiquity of raw materials. These are essential in the growth and development of Ancient Egypt due to the potential trade and expansion the transportation on the Nile offers, and the omnipresence of easy to reach natural resources, therefore securing valuable products and necessities for the Egyptians. Although with contemporary technologies and enterprises, it would not be necessary to depend on the Nile River for many of the above reasons. But in the days of Ancient Egypt, civilizations had to survive with what they could find or grow, and the Nile was a perfect place for both. Without the Nile River, the Ancient Egyptian empire could not have existed.
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