Reading Practice 4

[1] Stretching approximately 6,650 kilometers – or 4,132 miles – the Nile in northern Africa is the longest river on Earth. Draining into the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria, it is formed by the confluence of the White Nile flowing from Lake Victoria in Uganda, and the Blue Nile flowing through Ethiopia. The Nile River basin was the setting of the rise and fall of an ancient civilization, some of whose achievements namely the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx – remain standing today.

 

[2] Rock carvings along the Nile terraces and in desert oases provide evidence that a culture of hunter-gatherers and fishers became replaced by a grain-grinding culture in the 10th century BC. This came in part due to environmental change, as the climate changed and the pastoral lands of present-day Egypt were subject to overgrazing. The early tribal peoples therefore migrated to the Nile River. By about 6,000 BC a Neolithic culture became rooted in the Nile valley, with several independent cultures developing in both Upper and Lower Egypt. These peoples abandoned their nomadic ways and developed a settled agricultural economy within a more centralized society. By 3,500 BC, these peoples of ancient Egypt formed what is now recognized as possibly the first nation-state.

 

[3] The reason for this achievement lies primarily in the stability and security that the Nile River provided. The river basin was inundated annually; during the wet season, the banks of the Nile swelled with water, and when they retreated they left fertile deposits of earth. These ideal agricultural conditions allowed the ancient Egyptians to develop the most stable food source of any region at the time. And the geographical centrality made organizing the peoples of the region easier, much easier than if settlements were spread out across a vaster land area.

 

[4] The seasonal nature of agriculture in ancient Egypt, along with advances in food storage, meant that the people had more time for leisure. At least the wealthy classes had time for leisure; the lower classes became a reliable source of labor. Within this organized system with an abundance of food resources, a rich culture flourished. While the pyramids and the elaborate tombs of the pharaohs are the most well-known manifestation of this culture, there are countless other achievements, including calendars, a form of writing, sophisticated architecture (particularly of temples), and a complex belief system including a pantheon of gods.

 

[5] In fact, the people of the region worshipped the river itself as a god. They called the river “the Father of Life” and “the Mother of all Men,” acknowledging that without it their civilization would not have been possible. Besides the agricultural and cultural benefits that it brought, it also served as an important transportation route. Traders could move their goods from the upper reaches of the river to the lower, and merchants all along the river had access to the Mediterranean and the other civilizations scattered around the sea. The Nile was also where the papyrus plant grew, from which the Egyptians made a type of paper we call papyrus. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this one plant in human history, as it made possible a semi-permanent record of writing, some of which survives today. Besides these uses, people also relied on the Nile for drinking water (not only for themselves but also their animals), and washing.

 

[6] The Nile continues to play a central role in modern Egypt. Approximately half the residents of the country live in urban areas along the banks of the Nile. And while the importance of the Nile as a transportation route has lessened in the past 125 years with the advent of airplanes and trains, it remains a centerpiece of Egyptian identity. It is said that if a visitor gazes upon the beauty of the great river, his return to the country is all but assured.