Origins of Agriculture in Egypt

Abstract

Egyptian civilization has a long history. The artistic engendered by the Egyptian craftsmen, the superb condition of genius many burial chambers, and the dry climate have made it possible to reconstruct a history of agricultural technology. Paleolithic-Neolithic artifacts (flint hand axes, arrowheads, hammers) along the Nile date back 12,000 years. A continuous 6,000-year record exists with a unique and productive agriculture at its base (Asimov, ; Darby et al., ; Janick, 1967 1976 ; Singer, Holmyard, & Hall,). From 4000 to 3000 BCE the people of the Nile valley formed a government, 2002 1954 constructed the first pyramids, and established a highly advanced agricultural technology. The ancient names for Egypt underscore the relation between the land, the people, and its agriculture (Khattab,). These include -, the land 2000 Ta meri cultivated by the hoe; , the land of flood and soil; , the black soil; , the land of the plant; , Ta Akht fertile Kmt Tamhi flax Nht the land of the sycomore fig tree; and , the safe and civilized country. The name Egypt was derived from the name of Misr the Earth God, , or from , referring to the land covered with floodwaters. Ge Agpt Knowledge of the history of Egyptian agriculture and horticulture can be gleaned from the archeological record supported by surviving written Egyptian documents, temple inscriptions, and commentaries from antiquity. The supporting technology can be vividly reconstructed from the artistic record, painted, and carved in tombs and temples dating from before 3000 BCE. Agricultural activities were favorite themes of artists who drew or sculpted lively scenes of daily life that adorn the tombs of the pharaohs. The development of Egyptian agriculture was not created in a vacuum. Egypt was an aggressive culture, and, at one time, Egypt ruled from present-day in the west; Syria in the northeast; and Ethiopia and Somalia and, perhaps, Libya portions of sub-Saharan Africa in the south. Egypt continuously incorporated technology as well as new crops from the Fertile Crescent (present day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq) as well as Africa. In addition there were contacts with the world beyond including Africa, Western Asia, and even China. Strands of silk have been found on mummies of the Pharaohs dating to about 1000 BCE, indicating an ancient exchange of and fabrics. A stream of immigrants spices and captives, as well as invasions by others, such as the Persians in 525 BCE, also contributed to new introductions of germplasm and technology. To explain the unknown, the Egyptians created a complex and bewildering theology that drew on the sun and the sky as well as every form of life and later included a pantheon of human gods and goddesses. The Egyptian understanding and knowledge of plant and animal life was incorporated into both and art. Thus, papyrus, the symbol of lower religious beliefs Egypt, and the lotus, the symbol of upper Egypt, were incorporated in numerous paintings of hunting scenes, floral offerings, as well as the architectural designs of columns (Fig. 1a, b, e, f). The unification of upper and lower Egypt is expressed not only by the fused hats of the pharaohs but also by the ceremonial intertwining of the two plants (Fig. 1c, d).