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The Egyptians – Expert Farmers One of the reasons why the Ancient Egyptian civilization was so successful and lasted for so long was the fact that they were able to farm the fertile soil around the Nile and produce their own food and cloth and raise their own animals. The river Nile is the longest river in the World. The source of the river is in the modern day country of Burundi in Central Africa. It then flows through Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. During the early summer months, the mountain region of Ethiopia experiences very heavy rainfall which increases the water level of the Nile. The heavy rain happens almost 1500 km from dry Egypt, yet the Nile floods in Egypt between June and September. The Egyptians called this the inundation. It happened every year almost without fail. If the flooding didn’t happen, Egypt experienced famine (not enough food). If too much water came down the river, Egypt experienced extreme flooding. The Farming Year The four seasons in Canada and in many other countries of the world can be easily identified because of the temperatures. In Egypt, it was always hot, so their seasons were based on the Nile River and farming. They had three seasons: 1. The Inundation or Flooding (called Akhet) June to September in our calendar the Nile floodplains during flooding When the Nile River flooded, water, mud and dirt from the river was washed up over the river banks onto the floodplains. A floodplain is an area surrounding the river that holds the flood water during the flood. It is usually dry the rest of the year. When the water finally left the floodplains, the river sediments (mud and dirt) became a productive growing area for the Egyptian crops. During the period of the flood the Egyptian farmers couldn’t do any farming, so they spent time mending and making tools and looking after the animals. Many farmers earned extra money during the flood by working for the pharaoh building pyramids and temples. 2. Growing Season (called Peret) October to February in our calendar As soon as the flood waters began to drop and the ground dried up a bit, the Ancient Egyptians ploughed the soil to get it ready for planting. They had hand ploughs or larger ones that were pulled by oxen. Seeds were then planted into the newly ploughed soil. Goats and other animals then walked over the fields to push the seeds into the ground. Crops that were grown included wheat, barley, flax, onions, leeks, garlic, beans, lettuce, lentils, cabbages, radishes, turnips, grapes, figs, plums and melons. The Egyptians had plenty of food with great variety! Since Egypt didn’t get much rain, they had to find a way of watering the crops once all of the flood water receded (went away). The Egyptians solved this problem by digging ponds and canals in the flood plain before the flooding. Once the water receded, these ponds trapped the flood water to be used when needed. The Egyptians invented a Shaduf to help get the trapped water from the ponds to the crops. A shaduf has a long pole over a cross piece. The large pole has a heavy weight on one end with a bucket on a string on the other end (a first class lever). Once the bucket is filled with water, the weight on the other end made it easy for the farmer to lift the bucket of water which was dumped into a canal which led to the crops. 3. Harvest Time (Shemu) March to May The harvest time was a very busy time for farmers. Grain was cut using a sickle (a long curved knife). The cut grain was then tied into bundles and carried away. Wheat was made into bread, barley was made into beer and flax was made into linen cloth. Papyrus reeds grew naturally along the banks of the Nile. They were not a crop, yet the Egyptians used the papyrus to make sandals, boats, baskets, mats and paper. Fruit and vegetables were harvested when they ripened. Cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, ducks, and oxen were raised by farmers for their meat, milk, hides and also to help with farm work. This drawing gives a good idea of what the entire year may have looked like. It shows the ploughing, planting, watering and harvesting all in one picture. Q. What do you think the wood in the canals was used for? A. _______________________________________________________________