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Dbq 1 Ancient Egypt Analysis

Decent Essays

Imagine a mother and a newborn child. Now picture the mother abandoning the baby with no one to feed or take care of it. It is very likely that the baby would die. The Nile, a major river in northeastern Africa, could be considered as Ancient Egypt’s mother. Because Egypt was so isolated, the river was all they ever knew. The economy and belief system of Egypt were totally dependant on the Nile River, and if it did not exist, neither would this powerful empire. The Nile River was crucial to the development of job specialization in this civilization. It not only supported farmers who used the river to fill irrigation canals, but supported everyone from craftsmen to sailors. In order to use the river for transportation, society needed workers …show more content…

The map and map key on “Document A: Ancient Egypt,” reveals that it had two deserts in the east and in the west, the Mediterranean Sea in the north, and the first and second cataract in the south. Most, if not all, of the settlements and cities were located in or very close to the Fertile Nile Valley because of the Nile’s plentiful water sources and silt, fertile soil carried by the river which was perfect for farming. Three main seasons revolved around the river: Akhet, Peret, and Shemu. Akhet was the flood season, which was between mid-June and mid-October. During this time of year, farmers would work off their public-labor tax since all the floodplains were heavily flooded. Mid-October to mid-February was called Peret, or the planting and growing season. This is when the Nile was high enough to fill irrigation canals and farmers were able to plant and tend crops. Last was the harvest season, known as Shemu, which takes place mid-February to mid-June. Without the seasons the river provided, it would be impossible for the people to grow crops for them to eat and …show more content…

If the gods were satisfied, the flood season would produce a “good Nile,” which meant just the right amount of water. If the people angered the gods, they would give the people a “bad Nile,” too much or not enough water. A “bad Nile” would usually result in death, no farming, and no water sources. Even the afterlife depended on the Nile. Egyptian Heaven was known as the Field of Reeds, and it was assumed to be located in the east, near the rising sun. In the depiction from the tomb of a tradesman named Sennedjem shown on “Document D: Field of Reeds,” the Nile River and irrigation canals surrounds and flows through the painting. This allowed the deceased to farm and live in the afterlife. It was also believed that the sun god Ra travelled across the sky in a boat in the day and the moon god Thoth in the night. It is obvious that the center of Egypt’s belief system was contingent on the Nile

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