The Egyptian culture had the good fortune to come about in the Nile Valley. What made the Nile Valley so unique was the long Nile River that flooded like clockwork and its fertile banks. The Nile River is surrounded by desert on both sides, which meant that the Egyptians had no choice but to settle close to this lifeline. Egyptian life was influenced by the Nile River, as is evident in the art and architecture produced by this culture.
The fragment of painting from Gebelein (2,25) is a great example of Egyptian art that came before the first dynasty. From what is left of this linen cloth we can see figures rowing boats on the Nile. The linen cloth and similar pieces of art in Egyptian tombs all show life on the Nile: hippopotamus and boats with deck cabins manned by large rowing crews. Even around 3,500 BC. the Egyptians appreciated their good fortune to be settled on the magnificent Nile.
The Nile River was also used for agriculture. The banks of the Nile were extremely fertile after the consistent floods every year, which made for excellent farming. The Egyptians also raised livestock such as cattle. Cattle fording a river (2,41) simply shows men leading cattle across the Nile. This was probably a regular event when the river was not flooded. Once again we see the Egyptian people physically in the Nile River.
The influence of the Nile is also apparent in Egyptian architecture. At Giza we can see the Nile playing a role a temple placement. Not only are all the pyramids on the western side of the Nile (the side the sun sets on), but by looking at the plan of the Giza pyramid complex (2,32) we see the Valley Temples placed close to the river. This is because the trek out to the actual pyramid was quite long. The Egyptians could easily visit the Valley Temples to worship perhaps on a lunch break.
The Nile River has shaped not only Egyptian lifestyle but also Egyptian art and architecture. The th…
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