ater is fundamental to man’s
existence. As a living being, man cannot survive for long without it.
Throughout history, this basic requirement for water has led developing
communities to centralize along waterways due to the power and life
sustaining qualities that water provides.
Runoff from hills, mountains, and plains, flowing across watersheds, and
channeling water into nearby ponds, lakes, and rivers provides the moisture
required to produce crops and support both animal and plant life on which man
feeds. Rivers provide the means to transport grains, minerals, materials,
products from one region to another. Thereby, communities located along
waterways often become centers of trade and finance. To townsfolk living on
the banks of a river, the river also functions as a center of social life,
offering both romance and recreation. In looking back in history, the
importance of water to a society’s prosperity has not changed much in
time. Just as modern societies are often influenced by man’s dependence
on water for the sustenance of life, Ancient Egypt was as well.
In ancient times, Egyptian society depended upon the Nile River for its
existence. Society flourished for approximately 3000 years because of the
Egyptian people’s ability to harness the power of the river for
agricultural purposes, social events, community projects, religious purposes.
The central importance of the river in the Ancient Egyptian’s daily life
is evident in history and is reflected in their art, religion, writings,
politics, and social life. The river shaped nearly every facet of their
existence.
The ancient Egyptians were a religious people. Two of the earliest religious
cults were sun and nature. As an agricultural society, they depended upon the
cyclical nature of the Nile floods to replenish the lands with fertile topsoil
and they depended upon the sun to help produce a bountiful harvest. Witnessing
the natural processes of the earth likely influenced their beliefs in the
afterlife.
Not all of the barques were miniature, however. Next to Khufu’s
Great Pyramid
near Cairo, archaeologists unearthed a 142' wooden barque they believe
his son Djedefre buried for the dead pharaoh to use in the afterlife. Some
scholars argue that the vessel was actually used to transport Khufu in a
funeral procession. Such processionals are a common scene in the paintings of
tomb walls. Puzzling to scholars however was why two barques were buried in
Khufu’s tomb. Egyptians believed Re traveled in two barques, one for
day travel and one for the night. Some speculate that perhaps this is the
reason.
The Egyptian’s desire to immortalize their pharaohs led to
their massive efforts to construct monuments, tombs, temples, and
colossi in their king’s honor. Such structures often contained
façades or false entrances. Sometimes dummy temples would be
packed with rubble. So the question arises as to why did the people
of ancient Egypt put forth such enormous effort to erect such
structures if they served no useful purpose. One can only wonder. But,
as Roberts writes in the January 1995 issue of National Geographic,
“…some archaeologists speculate that there was an Old Kingdom belief
that a work of art, a building, even a chanted phrase had power and utility in
the afterlife in direct proportion to its uselessness in the real world.”
The Nile supported Egyptian society’s needs throughout the construction
of these enormous structures, some which stood as tall as 400 feet.
Construction projects of this scale required an enormous labor force, a
structure and organization capable of
coordinating the work effort, support
from the local community to produce crops to feed the labor force, and
craftsmen skilled in trades as architects, sculptors, scribes. Today, many of
these pyramids, colossi, temples and tombs still stand as remnants from
ancient Egypt’s past. Through these clues historians have been able to
piece together the stories, myths, and history of one of the most successful
and enduring societies in the world.
The pictograms, hieroglyphics, murals and contents found in such edifices
reveals a great deal about daily life in ancient Egypt. They offer answers
to the question of why construction of these monuments was undertaken in the
first place and give evidence of the effect they had on the life of the
common man. The symbolism of the tomb paintings carried spiritual meaning.
Through pictograms, murals on tomb walls we also know that their religious
beliefs had a fundamental effect in shaping the organization and structure of
Egyptian society.
Scholars argue that the first written language arose out of the need to keep
records of harvests and rainfall. Historians believe that as few as one
percent of the populace were literate. Scribes held a special position in
Egyptian society and were revered as powerful and important people. The
occupation required mastery of over 700 hieroglyphs representing objects,
ideas, or sounds. Their education involved the study of reading, writing, and
mathematics. Scribes functioned as tax collectors, record keepers, even
architects. Scholars further suggest advances in astrology arose out of their
need to predict the annual flood.
From a barren, desolate landscape to a lush, fertile strip of land capable of
supporting plant life, Egypt became the most advanced civilization of ancient
times. Without their ingenuity in mastering the power of the river, the
enduring success of Ancient Egyptian civilization would not have been
possible.•
ater is fundamental to man’s
existence. As a living being, man cannot survive for long without it.
Throughout history, this basic requirement for water has led developing
communities to centralize along waterways due to the power and life
sustaining qualities that water provides.
