The people of Ancient Egypt had many things that were important to their culture and their survival. Probably the most important thing for their survival was the Nile River. Without it, they would have no water for their basic needs. They would not be able to farm, bathe, or even have water to drink, and their civilization would never have been able to survive. Their gods and their unique beliefs were also very important for them to develop their own culture. They believed in many different gods, all responsible for different parts of nature. Strangely, the people of Ancient Egypt believed that the most important thing was death. This is something they held of very high importance, and they believed that when they died, they began their afterlife. That is the reason they built so many huge tombs and pyramids, in order to house the pharaohs in their afterlife. Many things were very important for the Ancient Egyptian civilization, both for their basic survival and for their cultural identity and beliefs.
The Nile River was obviously crucial to the Egyptians because it was their source of water, and therefore it was their source of survival. We can see clearly that it was important to them because they divided Egypt into two regions: Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Upper Egypt was where the Nile started, and Lower Egypt was where the Nile formed a delta and opened up into the Mediterranean Sea. Upper Egypt was actually in the south and Lower Egypt was to the north. ("Upper and Lower Egypt." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 05 Feb. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_and_Lower_Egypt.) However, the Egyptians based the separation on the direction of the Nile’s current (from Upper to Lower Egypt), which shows that the river was centrally important to them.
The Egyptians were able to harness the river by digging canals that brought the water to their cities. One of the main things the Nile’s abundant water and resources were used for was agricultural work. This is something that the people relied on for necessary food. The land around the river was considered either black land or red land. The black land was important for farming because it is the land directly adjacent to the Nile that was made fertile by the river’s yearly flooding. The red land was the dry land that was not able to be farmed. ("Geography." Introduction. Web. 05 Feb. 2010. http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/geography/home.html.) Every year, during late summer, the Nile would flood and fill the black land with fertile soil. The people learned how to manage the floods and control the amount of land covered and the distribution of fertile soil. After the flood, the people could plant crops like cereals, wheat, and flax. Flax was used to make their linen clothing. One important thing they grew was papyrus. This was not only a source of food, but it could be used to make things like boats. The Nile did not only give the Egyptians food from agriculture, but it was also home to many fish, which was an important source of protein. They also hunted things like birds, which lived off the Nile. (Baines, John. "Ancient History in depth: The Story of the Nile." BBC - Homepage. Web. 06 Feb. 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/nile_01.shtml.) Without the Nile River, the Egyptians would have had no source for obtaining basic things like food and water, and therefore, it was very important to them.
Water was certainly important for their basic survival, but what did they hold important as a part of their culture? The Egyptians believed in many Gods – at least two thousand – but they had two that were more important than the others. These were Amon-Ra, the sun god, and Osiris, who was king of the underworld. The people lives revolved around their beliefs, and one thing they were very fascinated with was death. They believed that after they died, they began their afterlife, which was made possible by Osiris. Because of this belief, they spent much of their time in preparation for their next life. ("Ancient Egyptian Religion." St. Petersburg Times Online. Web. 06 Feb. 2010. http://www2.sptimes.com/Egypt/EgyptCredit.4.3.html.) In order to have a peaceful afterlife, one had to pass through the underworld. After this, they received a special kind of power that they could use to help their family. (Pinch, Geraldine. "Ancient History in depth: Ancient Egyptian Magic." BBC - Homepage. Web. 06 Feb. 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/magic_01.shtml.) In order to keep their bodies from decaying and rotting away, Egyptians treated the dead with preservatives and wrapped them in linen. This kept the body looking lifelike during the afterlife. ("Mummification." Introduction. Web. 06 Feb. 2010. http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/home.html.)
Because of their religious beliefs, they also thought that the pharaoh was very important. When the pharaoh died, he was thought to become the new king of the dead, Osiris. His soul, however, remained with his body during his afterlife. For this reason, he was mummified and put into a coffin in his tomb. Everything he would need during his afterlife was also put in the tomb with him. ("National Geographic: Egypt Pyramids--Facts, Photos, Diagrams." National Geographic. Web. 05 Feb. 2010. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html.) The Egyptians spent many years and a lot of effort in building the pharaoh’s pyramid. They held special ceremonies in order to align the foundation of the pyramid with the north, south, east, and west. These tombs were built in the red land, the dry land. They were constructed from limestone and granite, which had to be brought down the Nile and then hauled to the building site. The laborers then built ramps and put the blocks into place. (Shaw, Ian. "Ancient History in depth: Building the Great Pyramid." BBC - Homepage. Web. 06 Feb. 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/great_pyramid_01.shtml.) The pyramids and tombs made up mortuary cities, such as the pyramids of Giza, and they were built solely for the entombment of the pharaohs. The pyramids at Giza took as many as eighty years to build. Because of the amount of effort put into death and the afterlife, it is obvious that it was a very important part of the Egyptians way of life.
The things that the people of Ancient Egypt considered important were the things that provided them with the basic necessities for survival and the things that they believed in religiously. The Nile helped them because it gave them water, and it enabled them to use the land for agriculture. It also gave them things like fish to eat. Everything they did or made was directly or indirectly made possible by the Nile River. The people of Egypt also held religion of high importance. Almost everything they did revolved around their gods, and they had a fascination with death and afterlife. They spent much of their lives preparing for their death. In my opinion, the two most important things to the Ancient Egyptians were the Nile River and their religious beliefs about death.
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