Nile River: The Development Of Agriculture, Civilization

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Nile River
Introduction
The term civilization has been defined in many ways, and people still try to explain and understand its meaning. To some people, it is a simple word that solely means dwelling in a city or an urban center. However, a look at the history of the world and the various stages of development indicates that civilization denotes more than living in a town center. According to the Cambridge Online Dictionary, civilization is a human society with its well-developed social organizations, or culture and way of life of a society or country at a particular time. The truth is, civilization encompasses more than the lifestyle people adopt and includes the social, cultural, political, and economic aspects of society (Stokes). Therefore, its definition should incorporate these elements and also explain at what point a society is considered a civilization. Regardless of the difficulties in defining the term, the world has witnessed many developments and changes in different aspects of life which constitute civilization. For example, initially, human beings used to be hunters, but after the Neolithic revolution, people learned how to practice agriculture. However, agriculture was not possible in all areas, and factors such as rivers played a key role in influencing the development of past civilizations. One such river is the Nile which played a key role in influencing the inception and spread of civilization in ancient Egypt. The significance of the Nile River cannot be emphasized enough, and Egypt’s rise into one of the most important historical reference points could not have been possible without its existence. This article will hence build on the above premise while identifying some of the factors and themes that turned this river into an important asset to Egypt.
Being closer to the Nile River was not enough to help civilization thrive in Egypt. However, the resources provided by the Nile River as well as the intelligence and creativity of the Egyptians helped Egypt to thrive and become one of the world’s ancient civilizations. Some of the factors and themes that made the Nile River and other river valleys ideal spots for the inception of cities and civilization are as discussed below:
First of all, rivers contributed greatly towards the development of agriculture. The Nile River made it possible for the Egyptians to farm and cultivate the land. The Nile River was and still is famous for its flooding, and this natural phenomenon is one of the reasons why agriculture was possible in Egypt. While flooding, the water would carry and deposit silt together with nutrients on the dry land (Chris, 2012). With time, the land became increasingly fertile and could support growth. In spite of the grueling climate, the inhabitants found the Nile River resourceful and gradually, people started to practice irrigation and agriculture continued to thrive. As is always the case, other people also took note of the developments happening along the Nile River. Slowly, people started to settle along the Nile River, and agriculture continued to thrive. As these settlements increased, so did the people’s interest in agriculture and Egyptian civilization was inaugurated....