Ancient Egypt
Egypt was protected from invasions mainly because of her location and geography. As a result her people were able to develop a distinct culture and stable civilization that lasted for almost 2,000 years. There were times when Egypt's government was weak and disorganized and for short times they were conquered by outside invaders. During all this time however Egyptian art, religion, government, and life continued much the same as always. To make Egyptian history easier to understand histrians have divided it into three major periods. The first two the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom
The Nile River
Egypt had a great advantage over the other civilizations. It was protected on all sided by natural barriers. Deserts to the west, south, and east, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north gave the Egyptian protection from outside invasions. If you could have flown over ancient Egypt you would have noticed vast desert regions Through them a narrow green strip of land on either side of the Nile River struggled to maintain itself against the desert. This was Egypt a narrow green valley alignment between six and thirty miles across. The Nile is the longest river in the world extending 4,037 miles. It starts at a Lake Victoria in central Africa and ends in the Mediterranean Sea. From its source until it reaches the city of Khartoum the river is called the White Nile. This is because it has milky gray color. At Khartoum it blends with the clear waters of the Blue Nile. Between Khartoum and Aswan the Nile flows northward through six cataracts or rapids. In the cataracts the water rushes over rough rocky beds while dropping as much as two feet each mile.
Upper and Lower Egypt
North of the First Cataract is a valley ten to thirty miles wide called upper Egypt by historians. As it approaches the Mediterranean Sea almost 600 miles further north the Nile divides into seven branches forming the Nile Delta. This area is hot and humid and is known as Lower Egypt some people are confused by Upper Egypt being in the south and Lower Egypt being in the north but the Nile flows north not south.
The gift of the Nile
About 3000 B.C. the same time Sumer, Harappa, and Mohenjo-daro were established the Egyptian civilization had its beginning. Early wanderers descendants of Ham came across the Red Sea and were attracted by the rich fertile Nile Valley. The famous Greek historian Herodotus was one of the first to call Egypt "the gift of the Nile." There is very little rainfall in Egypt so all water whether for drinking, farming, cleaning, or bathing comes from theNile River. Perhaps even more important than the water itself are the yearly floods that cover Egypt from May to October. As the river creeps over its banks it spreads a rich new layer of soil across the Nile Valley and provides a base for agriculture.
Ships
As people settled in the area and cities formed the Nile River became a major source of transportation This was made easy because of the natural winds. The hot desert air produced a low pressure area in the south pulling in strong cool breezes from the Mediterranean Sea. These breezes called the Eastern Winds enabled a merchant to raise his sails and be pushed upstream against the current. When he was ready to return downriver all he had to do was lower the sail and float downstream on the current.
Water control by governments
The early people who arrived along the Nile Valley were quick to see the importance of working together to set up irrigation projects. They also built dikes to hold the water long after the yearly floods. Since everyone needed water some type of governmental control was necessary to see that everyone got their fair share. These early governments were called nomes. Each nome was responsible for water distribution and repair of the equipment in their district.