Egyptian civilization started along the banks of the Nile around 3300 BCE. The Ancient Egyptians were polytheistic and believed that if they pleased the gods and goddesses, they would live in peace. Temples and pyramids were built to honor the gods and people worshipped regularly. Its famous and biggest pyramid was Great Pyramid at Giza built by King Khufu. It took 100,000 and 20 years to complete it. A great sphinx was used to protect the pyramid. It had a lion's head and a human body. The Egyptian civilization had a dynasty that consisted of a family whose ability to rule is passed within the family. Pharoah was the common title for the Egyptian monarch. The Egyptian civilization had Pharaohs such as Pharoah Khufu who built the largest pyramid, and Pharoah Djoser who led the Egyptians through a period of remarkable trade, agriculture, and development of cities, he fought invaders and expanded Egypt. A large rock monument, The Famine Stela marks Djoser`s work to end the seven-year drought. Pharoah Akhenaton changed religious beliefs. Egypt also had female Pharaohs, Pharaoh Hatshepsut, Pharaoh Cleopatra, Pharaoh Mennath, Pharaoh Sobekneferus, and Pharaoh Nefertiti.
These Pharaohs developed a system of bureaucracy that enabled them to rule. Mummification was used to preserve the body of death from decaying. A system of writing was developed which was known as Hieroglyphics. Egyptian history was categorized into three periods; the New Kingdom, the Middle kingdom, and the Old kingdom. The intermediate period was characterized by chaos and violence which disrupted the peace of the Egyptians. This period lasted over hundred and fifty years. Egypt was greatly suppressed by the Syrians and Persians.
Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile means; the Nile River made civilization in Egypt possible. The Nile is really two rivers, the white and blue that met with Sudan and travels through nine countries before exiting into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the largest river in the world (4.187 miles). The Greek historian Herodotus claimed that Egypt was the gift of the Nile. Unlike most rivers, the Nile flows in a northern direction from Lake Victoria because of the many mountains located in central Asia. Some other famous northern-flowing rivers are the Indus River, St. Johns River, and Yukun River.
The Nile River played a very crucial role in the civilization of Egypt. That cannot be forgotten or relegated to the background. The three geographical features listed are oases, quarries, and mires. An oasis is a land in the desert with a natural water source. Quarries use stone (limestone, sand, granite) to make structures such as statues, temples, and pyramids. Finally, mines were places in the eastern desert that produced resources like gold and semi-precious stones that ancient Egyptians used to make jewelry and spread gifts for the Pharaoh, the royal family member of the nobility, and for temples.
Agricultural-wise, ancient Egypt fished for food. Also, fruits from the trees were collected that grew around the Nile, due to the fertile soil called silt that filled the river banks as a result of the annual flood. They invented the simple machine called shaduf. People had access to good portable drinking water since little or no rainfall was recorded. The shaduf was a long pole with a bucket attached to the end of it that controlled the rise and fall of the Nile River.
Economically, the Egyptians had access to the easy routes which enable them to transport all the goods that the Nile produced, and therefore farming as a source of trade become one of the most important aspects of the Egyptian economy. It was believed that Egypt traded with various civilizations such as the Assyrians, Persians, and Sumeria among others. It also served as a source of transport which made it easier for the movement of individuals and goods and services.
The river also surrounded and protected the Egyptians from outside invaders. This means that whenever an invader tried to invade the Egyptian civilization, they spotted them so they could easily attack and fight them. In the same vein, the Nile river attracted invaders. Another great feature was that the Egyptians could adapt to their environment and from this various ideas and methods about how to survive were learned. In Ancient Egyptian people were very skillful and found extraordinary in order to control their surroundings and use them to their advantage. Concepts like fishing, irrigation systems, and creating calendars to keep track of floods saved the Ancient Egyptians. All this was made possible as a result of the presence of the River Nile. Egypt will forever be remembered as an intelligent and important civilization to the development of the current society. From the above discussion, it can be realized that the Greek historian and traveler Herodotus in the fifth century B.C.E who described Egypt as a ‘Gift of Nile’ was not wrong