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Ancient Egyptian Agriculture
Catherine C. Harris
While agriculture is important throughout the
world, for the people of Egypt it has always been a matter of
working closely with the seasons and understanding their change.
Throughout history, Egypt has celebrated the relationship between
the land they farm and the Nile.
The Nile is the longest river in the world, a
majestic body of water that flows with the very life of Egypt in
its currents. The shape of the Nile is that of a Lotus flower, the
ancient Egyptian symbol for regeneration of life. Rainfall is
almost non-existent in Egypt, and the Nile has always been the
source of water for crops and animals.
The land of ancient Egypt was divided into
sections with varying proximity to the Nile. The lower land on
either side of the Nile is known as the floodplain. This is the
most fertile land in Egypt and most of the crops were grown here.
Farming in ancient times occurred on the highest ground in this
zone. The land was rich and fertile, dark black in color.
A little higher, above the floodplains was the
low desert. The Nile did not water this area of land. Egyptians
used this portion of land to hunt and bury their dead. It was
scant with any kind of vegetation, which made it perfect for such
activities.
Even higher still, was the high desert area. The
area was most likely used for travel of large caravans in search
of stones to cultivate. Mineral resources were sought after in
this region, but there was little inhabitation. What inhabitation
that did exist in the high desert was there for the strict purpose
of producing dates and grapes to insure a link to remote areas.
These were little pieces of paradise in the desert, often called
oases.
 The tools used in ancient Egypt agriculture
included: plows, sickles, hoes, forks, scoops, baskets, shaduf,
skiffs, and sieves. The farmers also used cattle, oxen, donkey,
and goats to aid in the cultivation of their fields. The hoe most
often used was made of two separate pieces fitted together and
bound with rope. The first piece was a handle and the second a
blade. Hoes were used to mix water and dirt in brick making, to
break up dirt clods, and to manage the growing crops. Sickles were
often made of glazed wood that was sharpened to cut. A shaduf is a
mechanical irrigation device used to bring water from the canals
to the fields. Skiffs were made of papyrus and were used for
travel on the Nile, as well as fishing.
In the cultivation of grain, there were eight
steps that the ancient farmer knew as well as he knew his own
land. The cultivated land was ploughed with a wooden axe.
Ploughing may have been done with the aid of an animal, or
exclusively by human strength. Sowing was done by hand, with the
help of goats that walked over the newly sown fields to push the
seeds out of the reach of bird looking for a quick meal. Once the
grain was ready for harvesting, the fields would come to life with
the harvesting. The harvesting of the grain was done with sickles.
The grain was then bundled and carried, on the back of donkeys, to
a safe and dry place to avoid spoilage. The grain was then put
through the process known as threshing. It was spread in a
contained area and trampled on by the hooves of donkeys. In the
Middle Kingdom of Egypt, often cows were used in this process.
This process aided in the beginning of separating the grain from
the chaff. The next step is often depicted in the tomb paintings
of ancient Egyptians. Often done by women, wooden forks were used
to eliminate the light chaff and straw from the grain.  Next, they
would use sieves made from reeds and palm leaves to separate the
longer chaff and weeds from the grain. The final step was to
secure the crop of grain in bins until consumption.
The ancient Egyptians were thorough in their
cultivation of grain, as it was their main staple. Barley and
emmer were used to make bread and beer. Excessive grain was
exported to neighboring countries. This exportation of grain
allowed the Egyptian treasury to accumulate income.
The main vegetables grown in ancient Egypt were
onions, leeks, beans, lentils, garlic, radish, cabbage, cucumbers,
and lettuce. The fruit grown consisted of dates, figs, grapes,
pomegranates, and melons. Due to the wonderful variety of flowers
grown in ancient Egypt, bees were able to pollinate and produce
honey. Women cultivated and processed honey to be used in
desserts. Flax was grown and processed to make linen. Papyrus was
converted into in to sandals, skiffs, paper, and mats.
Animals were raised for; food, hides, milk, and
dung (used in cooking fires). Oxen increased agricultural
productivity. Others animals were domesticated and used by farmers
of ancient Egypt. They raised cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, ducks,
goats, and oxen. Around 1600 B.C., horses and donkeys were
introduced to Egypt from Asia. Camels were unknown during the time
of the pharaohs, as they were introduced at a much later time.
 For centuries the Nile flooded the valley, and
the Egyptians established a routine in dealing with the seasons.
The flooding period was called Aketo. This lasted from July to
December, using the current calendar months. During this time the
farmlands were under water. The farmers used their irrigation
canals to run water to the lands not reached by the Nile. Animals
were moved during this time to a safer place, to avoid drowning.
The outflow period was known as Peleto. This was the coolest
season, and it ran from December to March. Seeds were sown during
this time and crops cultivated. From March to July they
experienced a dry season known as the Syumuu. This was a busy time
of bringing in and storing the crops. The yearly flooding was
known as the "gift of the Nile," for without it the
people of ancient Egypt would have perished.
The average rise in the Nile at flood time was
twenty-seven feet. The monsoon rains from Ethiopia were
predictable, but often the amount of the rise was not so
predictable. If the Nile rose lower than the expected twenty-seven
feet, there was famine and loss of crops and lives. If the Nile
rose higher than the expected twenty-seven feet, there was damage
to villages and a loss of livestock and human life. The flooding
was predictable in its coming, but often caused chaos when it was
too much or too little. The annual flooding of the Nile continued
in to modern times. The completion of the high damn in 1988, at
Aswan, has made the flooding controllable. The construction of the
Aswan dam started in 1902, and has been built taller through the
history of Egypt, to its current height.
In ancient Egypt, most people were involved in
some fashion in the agricultural process. It was so interwoven in
to the very society and economy that no one was spared the work of
farming, excluding those noblemen and scribes that were not suited
for the work. However, even then, the noblemen were included in
the economic part of agriculture, as they often owned the land
being farmed and supervised the tending of such.
There were full time farmers. They often worked
the land of wealthy landowners and were paid in food, clothes, and
shelter. Some families rented land from the landowners, and they
gave the owners a portion of their crops as payment. Still, others
were forced by the government of Ancient Egypt to dredge canals,
survey land, and prepare the ground as a form of taxation. This
was called being drafted through corvee. Anyone that tried to
avoid the corvee was dealt with harshly, as was his family.
The Egyptians were the first culture to
establish gardens of an ornamental nature. The first recorded
garden dates around 2200 B.C. The gardens included pools for fish,
fig and pomegranate trees, grapevine covered trellises, and beds
of flowers. The pharaohs and government officials used them as
oases of privacy and cool and shady retreats from the hot desert
sun. They were also found at many religious and sacred sites.
Today, agriculture is still an integral part of
Egyptian society and culture. They have continued to use
traditional methods handed down through the centuries. Many still
use the ancient methods of irrigation, organic manure, and crop
rotation. Egypt is an agricultural country with as much beauty as
practicality. The wealth derived from agriculture in Egypt can be
weighed in more than just coins. The history of agriculture in
Egypt has made them rich in knowledge. The courage of past
generations has become the courage and wisdom of present and
future generations in Egypt. Egypt is a shining example that
pride, skill and determination are the foundations of a successful
nation.
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