Ancient Egypt farming

Fourteen thousands years ago, the rains which had made the northeast Africa lush failed. Animals became scarce, forcing the pre-historic Egyptians to leave the plains and descend into the lower Nile River valley. 

They abandoned the nomadic life of the hunter and settled down to farming. Civilization in Egypt grew because of agriculture along the Nile River.

Farming began in the Nile Valley before 6000 BC. The Nile River flows north 4 145 miles from Lake Victoria in the mountains of modern Uganda and Tanzania to the Mediterranean Sea.

These early farmers, who lived in huts made of poles and sun-dried mud bricks, grew wheat for making bread and barley for brewing beer.

Every summer, when rainwater that had fallen earlier in Uganda and Tanzania finally reached Egypt, floodwaters soaked the dry soil and left fertile, mudlike silt that was perfect for growing crops.

When the flooding ended in early autumn, Egyptian farmers had to work quickly to prepare fields for planting.

They used the Nile’s water to irrigate dry land. A network of irrigation canals supplied crops growing farthest away from the river with water.

The land yielded rich harvest is surpluses could be traded or stored in case of a possible famine in the future. Egyptians farmers grew wheat, barley, peas, beans, inions, garlic, leeks, cucumbers, grapes, melons, pomegranates, figs, and dates to feed the growing population.

In a land where rain almost never falls, the Nile is Egypt’s most important resource. It provides fish, waterfowl, mud for making papyrus paper, and a central highway for the transport of goods, and people from one end of the land to the other.

The ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife that was just like everyday life, only perfect. The wall paintings in tombs show farming scenes, show proper tools and farming methods. However, they also show rich people farming in their best clothes and crops growing very well to make things perfect.
Ancient Egypt farming