Reading 1

Task: Reading

Ancient Egypt relied on the Nile. The Nile River is about 6,670 km long and is

the longest river in the world. In Egypt, the Nile creates a fertile green valley

across the desert. It was by the banks of the river that one of the oldest civiliza-

tions in the world began. The ancient Egyptians lived and farmed along the Nile,

using the soil to produce food for themselves and their animals.

 

The Nile’s annual flooding and the fertile lands made Egyptian agriculture the

most secure and productive in the Near East. Melting snow and heavy rain in

the mountains sent water causing the floods on the flat desert land between

June and September. Crops could be planted after the floods, which covered

the river valley and delta in August and September. 

 

The Nile and its flooding, were essential to the Egyptians. The flooding of the

Nile, called ‘Hapy’ became a god. The Egyptians would thank Hapy for bringing

fertility to the land. The year and calendar were adjusted to the Nile. New Year

was in mid July, when the river began to rise for the flood. When conditions were 

stable, food could be stored to prevent scarcity. But the situation was not

always favourable. High floods could be very destructive; sometimes there was

population loss.

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The shape of the land was significant in other ways. The delta posed obstacles

to invaders. Travel into the desert or to Asia was more difficult than movement

within Egypt, where boat travel on the Nile was a major unifying force in such a

long, thin country. The area next to the Nile was called the Black Land. The Red

land was the desert