Ancient Egyptian agriculture

The river's predictability and fertile soil allowed the Egyptians to build an empire on the basis of great agricultural wealth.

During the African humid period, this was the area with rich vegetation, and the human population in the Sahara had increased considerably by about 8000 years BC.

They lived by hunting and fishing in the local lakes,[3] and by gathering wild cereals of the Sahara, that were abundant.

Well before that time, the migrating herders were going to other parts of Africa, but also coming to the Nile delta, where there were relatively few indications of agriculture before that.

Dakhleh Oasis, in particular, has been the subject of considerable recent research, and it supplies important evidence for early Egyptian agriculture.

Elsewhere in the Western Desert of Egypt, Bashendi-like groups have also inhabited the Farafra Oasis, and Nabta Playa, to the south.

[6] At Farafra Oasis, a goat dated around 6100 BC (8100 cal BP) was found in the Hidden Valley village.

Also the site called Merimde Beni Salama, about 15 miles northwest from Cairo, is believed to be the earliest permanently occupied town in Egypt.

The Nile is the longest river in the world, flowing northward from Lake Victoria and eventually emptying into the Mediterranean Sea.

As the floodwaters receded in October, farmers were left with well-watered and fertile soil in which to plant their crops.

Planting took place in October once the flooding was over, and crops were left to grow with minimal care until they ripened between the months of March and May.

Lack of flooding created a potentially greater issue because it left Egyptians suffering from famine.

However, the earliest and most famous reference to irrigation in Egyptian archaeology has been found on the mace head of the Scorpion King, which has been roughly dated to about 3100 BC.

The mace head depicts the king cutting into a ditch that is part of a grid of basin irrigation.

This grid would hold water longer than it would have naturally stayed, allowing the earth to become fully saturated for later planting.

Unlike cereals and pulses, fruit required more demanding and complex agricultural techniques, including the use of irrigation systems, cloning, propagation and training.

Grapes and watermelon were found throughout predynastic Egyptian sites, as were the sycamore fig, dom palm and Christ's thorn.

[17] The earliest evidence for cattle in Egypt is from the Faiyum region, dating back to the fifth millennium BC.

[17] In the New Kingdom, hump-backed zebuine cattle from Syria were introduced to Egypt, and seem to have replaced earlier types.

[17] Manmade incubators, called Egyptian egg ovens, date back to the 4th century BC and were used to mass produce chickens.

[16] He was depicted as an overweight figure who ironically made offerings of water and other products of abundance to pharaohs.

[13] A temple was never built specifically for Hapi, but he was worshipped as inundation began by making sacrifices and the singing of hymns.