Nile River In Ancient Egypt

Nile River: (From the Dictionary of Ancient Egypt)

View of the Nile valley, looking north from
the cliffs of Beni Hasan.
(Graham Harrison)

The longest river in the worlel, stretching for 6741 km from East Africa to the mediterranean, which is unquestionably the single most important element of the geography of both ancient and modern Egypt. Without the waters and fertile flood-plain of the Nile, it is highly unlikely that Egyptian civilization would have developed in the deserts of north-eastern Africa.

The study of the topography and geology of the Nile valley has revealed a complex sequence of phases, whereby the river gradually changed its location and size over the course of millions of years. Even in recent millennia, the course of the river has continued to shift, resulting in the destruction or submesian of archaeological remains, particularly of the Predynastic Period.

Three rivers flowed into the Nile from the south: the Blue Nile, the White Nile and the Atbarah. The southern secrion of the Nile proper, between Aswan and Khanoum, was interrupted by six 'cataracts' each of which consists of a series of rapids produced by changes in the type of rock forming the river bed. This section of the Nile valley corresponds to the land of Nubia, conventionally divided into Lower Nubia (the nonhern hall), between the first and second cataracts, and Upper Nubia, between the second and sixth cataracts. The border between the modern states of Egypt and Sudan is located just to the north of the second cataract.

From the earliest times, the waters of the Nile, swollen by monsoon rains in Ethiopia, flooded over the surrounding valley every year between June and September - an event known as the inundation - and new layers of fertile soil were thus annually deposited on the flood-plain. From the early nineteenth century onwards, however, the Nile was subject to a series of dams and sluices, culminating in the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971. After more than a decade of rescue work, Lower Nubia was largely flooded by Lake asser. Since then, the Egyptian section of the Nile valley has ceased to be subject to the inundation, thus allowing thou­sands of acres of new land to be cultivated through irrigation schemes, as well as the production of electricity from a hydroelectric plant attached to the dam.

Nilometer

The steps of the Nilometer on the island
of Elephantine at Aswan measured the
height of the Nile. This example dates
to the Roman Period.
(P.T. Nicholson)

Device for measuring the height of the Nile, usually consisting of a series of steps against which the increasing height of the inundation, as well as the general level of the river, could be measured. Records of the maximum height of the inundation were kept, although there is no firm evidence that these records were used in any systematic way in the determination of taxation on the amount of agricultural land flooded.

There are surviving Nilometers associated with the temples at Philae, Edfu, Esna, Kom Ombo and Dendera, but one of the best­ known examples is located on the island of Elephantine at Aswan. The Elephantine Nilometer was rebuilt in Roman times, and the markings still visible at the site date from this later phase. It was also repaired in 1870 by the Khedive Ismail. At Geziret el-Rhoda in Cairo there is an "Islamic" Nilometer dating back to AD 705-15, although it was possibly built on the site of an earlier Pharaonic exam­ple. The Islamic Nilometer worked on the same principles as its ancient counterparts, except for the use of an octagonal pillar (rather than steps) as the measures.

Tomb of Ramses III Plan -:Valley of the Kings, Egypt- Part VI

Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt:

This tomb is second in size, after the Tomb of Seti I and has become known as the Tomb of the Harp-Player. Its construction differs from the regular tomb in that five small chambers lead off either side of the first and second corridors, making ten in all. Each is devoted to aspects of the Pharaoh's life. It is also interesting that the first part of the tomb - up to the third room - was built by Setnakht (or Setnakhte), father of Ramses III, and in places where the paint has fallen off his cartouches are revealed . This is the tomb, it will be remembered, where the third corridor was diverted to the right after its builders had broken into an adjacent tomb by mistake.

Although the wall decorations may not be considered of the best artistic quality, their variety and richness are certainly unsurpassed. The entrance door is at the foot of a flight of steps on each side of which are small pillars with bulls' heads. Over the door is a representation of Isis and Nephthys worshiping the sun-disc. Along the first corridor are figures of Maat, goddess of integrity and truth, kneeling and sheltering with her wings the deceased Pharaoh as his body enters the tomb. On the walls are Praises of Ra. The Pharaoh

himself can be seen on the left-hand wall before Harmaches (one of the forms of the Sun God) followed by the familiar sacred serpent, crocodile and two gazelles' heads.
We now turn to the five small chambers leading off the left-hand side of the corridor . The first chamber (a) contains various scenes of cooking, slaughtering and baking. The second chamber (b) has, on the entrance wall to the left , the kneeling god of the Nile bestowing his gifts to seven gods of fertility which have ears of corn on their heads. On the wall to the right the Nile god is seen before the serpent-headed goddess Napret, five apron-clad royal snakes and two gods of fertility. The third chamber (c) is largely-decorated with male and female local deities with offerings. In the bottom row are kneeling Nile gods. The fourth chamber (d) has representations of the guardian spirit of the deceased on either side of the entrance, each bearing a staff ending in a royal held. The other walls show double rows of rowers, sacred serpents and sacred cattle. The fifth chamber (e) contains the representations that gave the tomb its name: on the left wall are two harpists, one before Anhor and the hawk-headed Harmaches, and the other before Shu and Atum. The text on either side of the doorway is the song they sing asking that the blessed Pharaoh might be received.
As already stated, there are five chambers on the right-hand side of the corridor. The first (f) contains a double row of sailing ships: those In the upper row ready to set sail and those in the lower with sails furled. The second chamber (g) is the Pharaoh's armory. The walls have representations of all the royal weapons and standards. At the top of the left-hand wall are standards with heads of sacred animals. At the top of the right-hand wall are standards with gods' heads. On the rear wall are a multitude of bows, arrows and quivers.
The third chamber (h) is particularly interesting if were member that this was a very wealthy Pharaoh, for it contains his treasury. On the walls are representations of furniture and ornaments, utensils and jewelery, elaborate head-rests, cushioned benches and comfortable couches that are attained by steps. The fourth
chamber (i) has rural scenes. The Pharaoh sails along a canal watching ploughing, sowing and reaping. In the fields are sacred animals . The last chamber on the right-hand side (j) is notable for its twelve different forms of Osiris, the god of the underworld.
The fourth corridor is decorated with scenes from the Book of the Dead, and leads to an ante-chamber (5) with representations of the Pharaoh In the presence of the gods of the underworld. The sloping passage (6) that follows has side galleries supported by four pillars, and a doorway on the right leading to a small chamber (7) ; here are some fine representations: on the right-hand wall (k) the Pharaoh is guided by the deities Thoth and Har-Khentkheti. On the left-hand wall (I) he presents the image of truth to Osiris, god of the underworld. On the rear wall (m) the Pharaoh stands in the presence of Osiris.
The following corridor (8) is badly damaged, as are the ante-chambers that precede the tomb chamber itself (10). This is a long oblong room with four pillars on each side and an extra chamber at each of the four corners. The actual sarcophagus is now in the French museum “Louvre”, its lid is in Cambridge, and the Pharaoh' s mummy, amongst those taken from the shaft at Deir el Bahri (Hatshepsut Temple), is now in the Cairo Museum.