The Nile River

Did you know that...

• The Ancient Egyptians lived more than 5,000 years ago.  They founded one of the oldest civilizations in the world.  
  
  
• The Nile River and its valley was the center of Ancient Egyptian civilization. Without the Nile River's water and rich soil, the Egyptian culture would not have happened. 
  
  
• Egypt is located in northern Africa and the Nile River is located in Egypt.  The Nile River begins in the mountains of Africa and flows north to the Mediterranean Sea.   It flows through thousands of miles of desert.  
  
  
• The Nile River is the longest river in the world - over 4,000 miles long. 
   
• The Nile River was very important to the Ancient Egyptians. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the waters of the Nile came from a "mysterious heaven of plenty".   

The Nile River gave the Ancient Egyptians:

• water to drink
• water to bathe in
• rich soil to grow their crops
• water to water their crops with
• a means of transportation
• a source of food (fish)
• a source for entertainment (swimming, boating, fishing, etc.) 

FISH  
The Nile River served as a source of food for the people of ancient Egypt.  The river had a lot of  fish including catfish and perch.  

TRANSPORTATION 
The Nile was the main means of travel for the people of ancient Egypt.  When building a pyramid, boats carried the stones up and down the river.

CROPS 
Every year the Nile flooded around July 15th and a rich deposit of thick mud was left behind.  This mud was good for growing crops.

ENTERTAINMENT
The Ancient Egyptians enjoyed the Nile River.  Some of their favorite pastimes were fishing, river boat outings, swimming and hunting crocodiles and/or hippopotamus. 

PAPER
Papyrus is a plant that use to grow on the riverbank of the Nile.  It was used mainly for production of papyrus paper.

WATER
The Ancient Egyptians lived near the Nile River so they had a large supply of drinking water.

Back please, to The Ancient Egypt Project Site.

10-18-06