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Egyptian Civilization was sustained because of the Nile delta productivity. Literally all the nutrients gathered over 1/4 of the of the African continent are de
by dagaci 8y ago
Egyptian Civilization was sustained because of the Nile delta productivity. Literally all the nutrients gathered over 1/4 of the of the African continent are deposited nowhere else along the river route but in Nile delta, this unique phenomenon of nature meant this area is extremely resilient and can withstand any level of exploitation.
Egyptian Civilization continued for over 3000 years (what we know about) which is ridiculous.
Egyptian Civilization lasted so long only because of the Delta productivity and ended when Greek and Roman conquest resulted in Egyptian grains being wholesale shipped northward out of the country by force ending the trade southward probably causing famine, and destroying the internal economy and culture which was centered there.
- gerbilly 8y agoIt's a good thing they dammed (damned?) the Nile then, to keep that rich alluvial soil away. :-)
- shadowprofile76 8y agoDammed*.though i'm pretty sure they also partly damned the river's ecosystem with millennia human presence.
- dagaci 8y agoLook closely at the ruling classes and then you wont be so surprised by these strategies
- thaumasiotes 8y ago> Egyptian Civilization lasted so long only because of the Delta productivity and ended when Greek and Roman conquest resulted in Egyptian grains being wholesale shipped northward out of the country Greek? Egypt was conquered by Persia about 100 years before Alexander. Alexander conquered it too, but didn't have time to ship anything out because he immediately died. The dynasty that followed him was Greek, the Ptolemies, but they didn't control any territory other than Egypt.
- nonbel 8y agoThe ~600 BC Egyptians claimed it was because the proximity to water protected them from periodic "great conflagrations" and the lack of rain from catastrophic flooding: > "There have been, and will be again, many destructions of mankind arising out of many causes; the greatest have been brought about by the agencies of fire and water, and other lesser ones by innumerable other causes. There is a story, which even you have preserved, that once upon a time Paethon, the son of Helios, having yoked the steeds in his father's chariot, because he was not able to drive them in the path of his father, burnt up all that was upon the earth, and was himself destroyed by a thunderbolt. Now this has the form of a myth, but really signifies a declination of the bodies moving in the heavens around the earth, and a great conflagration of things upon the earth, which recurs after long intervals; at such times those who live upon the mountains and in dry and lofty places are more liable to destruction than those who dwell by rivers or on the seashore. And from this calamity the Nile, who is our never-failing saviour, delivers and preserves us. When, on the other hand, the gods purge the earth with a deluge of water, the survivors in your country are herdsmen and shepherds who dwell on the mountains, but those who, like you, live in cities are carried by the rivers into the sea. Whereas in this land, neither then nor at any other time, does the water come down from above on the fields, having always a tendency to come up from below; for which reason the traditions preserved here are the most ancient." http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/timaeus.html http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/timaeus.html
- dalbasal 8y agoAmazing quote thanks for that. It's just inspiring to imagine Plato and Socrates, in a garden, discussing basically the same article we're discussing here.
- barberousse 8y agoThat's because Egypt was to Greece what Greece was to Rome
- perfmode 8y agoand a bit sad to note we haven't made much progress since then
- kevin_b_er 8y agoIt won't survive modern exploitation. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has ended those deposits of nutrients.