The Place of the Nile River in Egyptian Civilization*
The geographical location of Egypt and the great Nile River was a determining factor in the formation of Egyptian civilization. The Nile River is the only source of water for Egypt. It originates in the mountains in the center of the African continent and ultimately flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The presence of extensive swamps in the Nile Delta and rocky waterfalls in the south cut off direct connections from north to south or south to north by ship (neither in the north nor in the south could the ship anchor). This feature paved the way for shipping only within the Nile and only for the inhabitants of Egypt. On the other hand, the west and east of the Nile were covered with impassable deserts that made communication with other tribes very difficult. All these features repelled predatory attacks and caused the Egyptians to build a great civilization under very favorable conditions. A civilization that went beyond the primitive form of life and primitiveness and provided the foundation of a society with the characteristics of knowledge.
As the snow in the mountains melted and water flowed down the riverbed, the Nile would flood, creating layers of fertile black mud, and agriculture flourished in this soil. The ancient Egyptians invented a complex irrigation system between 5500 and 3100 BC, using ponds dug into the ground. This system controlled floods, stored water, and transported it to more distant lands through canals. Agriculture in Egypt thus flourished, and the surplus food led to the creation of other professions such as potters, artisans, weavers, metalworkers, and so on. These businesses traded through barter. The long and narrow Nile Valley was another blessing because it made communication with the villages easier, and boatmen could easily pass between the villages and move various products. The fabric of society moved away from a single-product system, and markets were formed with a variety of products. The progress of agriculture in Egypt brought about an important and sensitive transformation, which was the formation of a government. Advanced cultivation complicated society. The construction of ponds, the division of land, the management of surplus crops and their replanting, the correct method of exchange and distribution of food, the conflict over land ownership, etc. revealed the need for a government. Most Egyptians belonged to a tribe that had a chief, and gradually, small cities were formed beyond the villages, ruled by a king. More powerful regions began to absorb smaller regions until finally Egypt consisted of only two kingdoms, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Thus, Egypt formed an ancient civilization with the favorable conditions that the Nile River provided it in every way. This entire civilization was solely dependent on the existence of the Nile