Flooding of the Nile Day

In Ancient Egypt, the beginning of the New Year was celebrated when the Nile River flooded, in late September. The flooding signified the start of the planting season. The flooding helped the Egyptians cultivate the desert into rich land for their crops.

Presented by Brent Daigle, Ph.D. (ABD))

Statues of Amon, god of life, were taken by boat up the Nile. The people danced, sang, and feasted for 30 days. On the 31st day, the statues were returned to the temple, and normal life resumed.

Presented by Brent Daigle, Ph.D. (ABD)

Temple to AmonPresented by Brent Daigle, Ph.D. (ABD))

Temple to AmonPresented by Brent Daigle, Ph.D. (ABD))

Ancient Egypt was a long, narrow country through which the Nile River flowed. Deserts bordered the country on the east, south, and west. The Mediterranean Sea lay to the north. The people living in Egypt depended on the Nile for food, water, and transportation.

Presented by Brent Daigle, Ph.D. (ABD))

Since the land all around the Nile was desert, it would have been impossible for the people to grow food if it had not been for the annual floods. The flooding started in July, when the rainy season began. The rains raised the level of the river as the Nile flowed northward. The floodwaters usually went down in September, leaving a strip of good farmland that averaged about 6 miles wide on each side of the river. Farmers then plowed and seeded the rich soil. Months later they harvested crops made possible by the flooding.

Presented by Brent Daigle, Ph.D. (ABD))

Transporting crops to the markets in the cities was possible only by river. Great barges carried loads of grain and other farm products to market. Many cities, such as Memphis and Thebes, grew up along the river as market centers. Without the Nile, this growth would not have been possible.

Presented by Brent Daigle, Ph.D. (ABD))

Some people say that the Nile River made it possible for Egypt to grow into a mighty nation rather than a poor desert country. It is certain that without the Nile, and its annual floods, it would not have been possible for the rich farming and marketing areas to grow up in this area. It is easy to understand why the ancient Egyptians celebrated the beginning of their year on the date of the flooding.

Presented by Brent Daigle, Ph.D. (ABD))

In ancient times, the actual date of the celebration depended more on the Nile River than on the calendar. Dotted along the Nile were small buildings that housed tall, square spires called Nilometers. The Nilometers were marked off into 19 cubits. (A cubit is slightly more than half a meter.)

Presented by Brent Daigle, Ph.D. (ABD))

However, the grand celebration was not guaranteed as an annual event. When the Nile floodwaters failed to reach the sixteenth cubic mark, the celebrations were canceled, and prayers and fasting were held instead in order to ward off the expected drought and famine.

Presented by Brent Daigle, Ph.D. (ABD))

In modern times the rising and falling of the Nile River is controlled by a series of dams. The most important one is the Aswan Dam. However, the holiday of the Flooding of the Nile is still held each August 18 to acknowledge the importance of the Nile in the history of Egypt.