Chapter 3.2: Egyptians And The Nile Flashcards
Talk about the transportation and river flow of the Nile
The Nile was useful for transportation. Traders and travelers would navigate the river. Trade settlements developed near the cataracts where the water slowed. this provided a way to trade with people outside of Egypt stuck in a cataract. Most rivers run more to south. However, the Nile runs south to north.
Explain what happened in the flooding of the Nile
Each summer, the Nile overflowed. The water would rush down the mountains and would flood the flatland of Egypt. The flood typically lasted four months. During this time, the water soaked into the land. Silt would settle from the water and this salt actually became a life sustaining feature. It provided a fertilization quality that would help the crops to thrive and grow.
What would happen after the flooding of the Nile
1) after the flooding, the farmers would scatter seeds on a soft, damp soil
2) then they walked their animals back and forth across the field – the hooves pushed the seeds into the soil
3) the farmers would then keep the crops watered. Egyptians dug irrigation canals.
4) when the crops grew, the farmers would harvest the crops and have not only a great amount of food, but even some food to spare
Explain the function of a shadoof
Many farmers used a shadoof to dip water from the Nile river into an irrigation canal. A shadoof is a device made from a long pole, a bucket on one end and a weight on the other. It was used to dip water out of the Nile river.
Explain the functions of a water wheel
Some farmers used a water wheel that lifted water from the Nile to the irrigation canals. A donkey or ox would be used to help turn the wheel.
Describe what Egypt’s title “ the storehouse of the ancient world” means
Egypt became the storehouse of the ancient world. The Nile provided Egypt, fertile land, and an abundance of crops would grow. Large harvest would allow Egyptians to be able to store food for times of famine when the Nile river did not rise. If they had more than enough food, they could sell it to other regions.
What is the Nilometer?
The Egyptians use a Nilometer to measure the miles water levels
Explain the tax system of Egypt
The measurements of the Nilometer affected how much the people owed the taxes because the more Nile flooded, the more fertile farmland there was to produce crops. The amount of taxes was determined by crop production.
